Shattered Destiny
by AmbieBambie85
Summary: Wow...I'm SO bad at summaries... To put it simply, this is the story for Kohaku, my Bleach OC. For the best details, just start reading! Renji AbaraixOC, just so you know! NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Note From Ambie: **HIYA! So yeah...it's Summer Vacation, and I'm taking a break from my Persona Story. My friend has written her own Bleach Story that involved an OC of my creation (she was only in there for short moments at a time and wasn't a MAIN character.) Since my friend did not know anything about my OC, I thought to myself one day: "I wanna write a story with my Soul Reaper in it." I did al sorts of "research" to figure out the captains and Lieutenants and how Shikai and Bankai work, and stuff like that! Once my "research" was complete, I started this story of awesome-ness! So please enjoy! ^_^!

Disclaimer: "Bleach" does not belong to me in any way.

~*~*~*~*~

"Tell me: what's his status?" A black-clad girl with brown pigtails and mix-matched eyes questioned as she dashed down the halls of the Squad 4 Barracks alongside a group of four other squad members carrying a stretcher. A man with dark hair wearing the same, black kimono lay atop the white stretcher with closed eyes. His Zanpakuto's thick blade had been crushed and the man himself was unconscious and covered in his own, red blood.

A light-haired girl with beaming blue eyes, wearing the same, black outfit shook her head. "I'm not sure, I arrived too late to receive any details." She explained calmly, as the group carrying the stretcher entered an empty room. They gently laid the unconscious man on the bed.

"Help…" He whispered as he began to awaken from his unconscious state.

The brown-haired girl nodded, "Don't talk." She said soothingly and looked over the bloody man. "C'mon we need to get him hooked up now! We can't be wasting any time!"

The light haired girl nodded as did the rest of the group. They all hustled around the room and calmly hooked the dying man to many different kinds of machines. As the last machine was being hooked up, the man's eyes shot open and he screamed in pain and his body went limp. The brown-haired girl's eyes widened and she searched for his pulse, but he had none; the man was gone…

A loud _BEEP _echoed through the white, hospital room and a woman with black hair and blue eyes entered the area. Her hair was long and braided in the front, over her chest; even though she seemed displeased her kindness was obvious. With her was a taller woman with short, white hair and gray-ish eyes; she also appeared displeased.

The black-haired woman shook her head with a sigh. "You've failed this training exercise." She turned to the brown-haired girl.

"C-Captain Unohana I—"

"I must say, Kohaku, I'm rather disappointed in you." The black-haired woman—now known as Unohana—said calmly. Kohaku—the brunette—did not look up. "You did much better than this last time."

"I-I know, I—"

"What's the matter Kohaku?" The white-haired woman questioned. "Is something—"

Unohana silently lifted her hand, "It's ok Isane, just let me handle this."

The white-haired woman nodded, "Yes Captain."

Unohana smiled and returned the nod to her lieutenant; she then turned back to Kohaku. "Look at me please." She said and Kohaku obeyed; she looked up at her Captain seeming as though she might cry. "Although the man 'died' I was pleased with how calmly you handled the situation; that itself deserves praise."

Kohaku managed a smile, "Thank you Captain."

"However that man would be dead if you moved at that speed." Unohana continued. "You must be both calm and quick in an emergency situation such as this training exercise. If you're the medic in-charge, you've got to work with the other medics in the area. You communicated with them well, but you did not do the main job as you're supposed to."

Kohaku nodded slowly. Truthfully she knew _exactly _what her Captain was saying, and she realized the mistake she had made in the training exercise; she did not dare touch any of the Hospital machinery. Sure she was placed in Squad 4, but Kohaku felt as though she was better suited for fighting rather than healing. She knew she had potential; her Shikai was powerful. Kohaku's Shikai was meant to inflict_ damage_ to her enemies and Aoiaroshi—her Zanpakuto—did not have any healing abilities. Having cleared her mind, Kohaku bowed to Unohana formally. "Please forgive me Captain. Next time I promise I'll do much better."

Unohana smiled kindly and gently laid her hand atop Kohaku's head. "I'm glad to hear that. Just remember that a situation like this training exercise can happen at any moment." She explained. "When it does, I want to be able to trust you to the patient, no matter who it may be. Do you understand Kohaku?"

"Yes Captain, thank you."

Unohana nodded and removed her hand. "Very well, for now you're dismissed." She said and she and Isane exited the training room and Kohaku picked up her head and breathed a relieved sigh.

"Phew…I'm glad that's over." She said and walked over to Zill, the 'patient' who was _still _playing dead. Zill and Kohaku were well acquainted with each other. Both of them had had their turns in saving one another; back in her Academy days, Kohaku was not much of a fighter and Zill had helped her out many times. There were also a few times when the tables were turned and Kohaku had to save him, simply because he would tire himself out very quickly. He was her superior, but her friend as well and _almost _her father. Kohaku rolled her green and blue eyes and pushed Zill out of the bed. "Hey Nimrod! You _do_ know that the training exercise is over, right?"

Zill stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "What the hell? What gives you the right to push around your _superior_?"

Kohaku sighed in annoyance. "You _always _haveta pull that one on me, huh?"

"You know that I can get you in _major _trouble don't you?" He questioned, disregarding her previous comment; like usual. "I could just waltz right up to your Captain and say; 'Kohaku is—'"

"'Kohaku is insulting me, I think you should hand her over to the Discipline Committee.'" She said, finishing for him. "Trust me Zill; I've heard that one before. Anyways, why are you always the one who plays the dying guy? Couldn't Captain Unohana get anybody else…preferably someone much more attractive?"

Zill's purple eyes went wide in shock and he fell to the ground, landing on his butt. "Wha-what!? H-How could you say something like that Kohaku!? Don't you think _I'm _the most attractive person in the entire Soul Society cuz I—"

She cut him off with a laugh, "HA! Are you serious!?" She continued to laugh. "You look like my frickin' _Grandpa_! No matter how much you don't wanna believe it; your hair is thinning _and _turning gray!"

Zill stood up and walked over to a nearby—and random—mirror. He stared at his reflection and ran his fingers through his hair with a pouty look. "Do you—do you really mean all the mean stuff Kohaku? Do I really look like your Grandpa?"

She smirked and walked up behind him at pat his back and simply stated, "You sure do."

At that Zill's shoulders slumped—even more than they originally were. He sighed and grabbed his Zanpakuto. When his hands touched the sword's hilt, the broken blade returned to normal and he placed it back in its sheath that was held around his waist on the left side; he turned to Kohaku and smiled. "I hate to ruin your mood, but you _do _understand what Captain Unohana was saying don't you?" He asked seriously. "Some day you're going to have to touch those machines. I know you hate 'em, but if you don't even _approach _them, lives are gonna be lost."

Kohaku looked down with a slow nod. "Yeah, I know…but I _really _hate them."

Zill pat her on the head kindly. "It's understandable that you feel that way, but you're in Squad 4, the medical squad. In order to do you job, you've gotta operate those machines." He removed his hand and smiled. "I'd better get home to Hanabi now; she wants me to help her with dinner. You should come by and eat with us sometime, she's been asking about you y'know?"

Kohaku smiled and nodded as Zill walked out of the training area. At a young age, Kohaku's parents were sent to the human world to help battle a very powerful Hollow. Usually they were a few of the strongest Soul Reapers in the Soul Society and they were sent to the human world often; they'd usually return after a day, but that time when Kohaku was a mere child, they did not return. Being a young girl, Kohaku just figured that her parents were clearing the _entire _human world of _all _the Hollows; how was she to know that Mom and Dad had been murdered? They were always so strong and they rarely ever received a scratch.

Kohaku fought away tears that were beginning to threaten her vision and she walked to the window of the hospital room and saw Zill happily talking with another Soul Reaper. She smiled sadly to herself and thought back to when she had learned the news of her parents' deaths. It had been Zill and Hanabi who had told her. Kohaku had no siblings and when her parents died there was no one to take care of her. When Zill and Hanabi learned about her situation, they happily offered to take her in. The two of them had been married for a long time, and they tried to have a child, but it never worked; Hanabi could not get pregnant and they really wanted a child. However, the Higher-ups would not allow the two of take Kohaku in because they were not of relation to her.

Kohaku was eventually sent to stay with her Grandfather who was still a very active Soul Reaper. She and her Grandfather had always been close, and Kohaku enjoyed living with him. For many, many years, Kohaku was happy, but that happiness was shattered when her Grandfather was attacked by a group of Soul Reapers who had betrayed the Soul Society. He was lucky to be found, and he was immediately sent to the Squad 4 Barracks. While he was there, the Soul Reapers of Squad 4 _quickly _began to work on him. They were able to stabilize him, and he was on the road to recovery. However, one day while Kohaku was visiting with him, something went wrong and her Grandfather's recovery had been ruined; he quickly slipped back to the state he had been in when he was first sent to the Barracks.

For some, unknown reason, Squad 4 became unable to stabilize him again and they were forced to stop; everything they attempted just made matters worse. By that point, Kohaku _knew _her Grandfather was not going to make it; she was right and he died that night. Eventually she was told that he had died because of a machine malfunction; they had used a busted machine and they did not know. Kohaku found it ridiculous, but she knew that that was the only explanation; Squad 4 would not ever give up on a patient unless they _knew _there was nothing they could do.

_Some _good came out of that incident; it made Squad 4 more aware and they began to do regular machine checks weekly, and nothing like that had happened since. By the time her Grandfather died, Kohaku was able to be on her own and she _attempted _to live her life normally, but she could not get over her anger at Squad 4 and their machines. That was why she refused to use _any _of the Barracks' machinery; she feared that she'd miss a problem and they would cause _another _death.

She sighed and cleared her mind; it was okay to think about it, but it would not change anything. She knew that what was done, was done…she could never go back and bend the incident to _her _will. Kohaku exited the hospital training room and headed back to her house; she really needed some sleep to lighten her mood.

~*~*~*~

The next morning, Kohaku awoke to the sound of steady knocking on her door. Reluctantly she opened her mix-matched eyes and made her way to the door; she did not bother fixing her hair or even dressing into her Soul Reaper outfit. "Yeah?" She asked when she opened the door.

A familiar sigh was heard, "No wonder you weren't answering; you were _still _asleep. Do you have any idea what time it is, Kohaku?"

She blinked a few times and saw who the voice belonged to; it was Amaterasu, her childhood friend. "No idea…what time _is _it?" She questioned.

Amaterasu rolled her eyes. Her dark hair was pulled back into a single ponytail and she had it parted to the right side; covering her right, green eye. Around her hips her Zanpakuto—Kade—rested on the left side. She wore the regular clothing of any other Soul Reaper. "I dunno what time it is either; I'm just here to tell you that you've not been around. Maybe you should get fixed up?"

Kohaku shrugged. "I really don't think I'm doing anything today; so I don't see the point of—" Fast-paced footsteps were heard approaching Kohaku's home, cutting her off in mid-sentence.

"Kohaku! You're needed in the Squad 4 Barracks; Captain Unohana sent for you herself." The owner of the footsteps _and _the second voice was Isane; the lieutenant of Squad 4. If _she_ had been sent to get her, Kohaku _knew _it had to be important.

Kohaku nodded. "Understood Isane; I'll be there as soon as possible." Isane nodded back and flash-stepped away, leaving Amaterasu and Kohaku alone again. Kohaku saw the expression on her friend's face and scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh. "Guess I was wrong."

Amaterasu smirked and shook her head. "Guess so." She stated simply. "I'll see you later," she said and flash-stepped away.

"C'ya," Kohaku said after Amaterasu was gone. She quickly headed back into her house and got dressed into her Soul Reaper clothing. Once the black outfit was on, she tied the white belt around her hips and put on her green, blue and purple sword carrier; she placed Aoiaroshi into her sheath and slid it through the correct holes on her back. Kohaku quickly pulled her brown hair into pigtails with one green and one blue ponytail-holder; the green one pulling back her left side, and the blue holding her right. When she was satisfied a few seconds later, Kohaku exited her house.

Right as she closed her door, she flash-stepped to the Squad 4 Barracks; she arrived in less than one second. When she reached the building, Kohaku rushed inside, only to be stopped by her Captain. She bowed formally, "You asked for me Captain?"

Unohana nodded, "I did Kohaku." She stated calmly. "I need you to tend to a patient; he arrived here this morning with minor injuries, but those injuries were enough to render him unconscious. I need you to go to room 212 and watch over him. If he awakens, explain the situation to him; his file should be on the table in there." She explained. "You will be put in charge of him until he recovers, do your job well."

"Yes Captain." She replied and received another nod from Unohana who then headed down the hallway. It was strange, but the Barracks seemed busier than usual; Kohaku wondered if anything was going on as she rushed to room 212. She got there very soon and walked inside. When she entered, she saw a man with red hair pulled into a single, high-sitting ponytail laying in the bed. His eyes were closed and he had strange, black tattoos along his forehead and down his slightly exposed chest. As she neared the unconscious man, she saw that he wore the lieutenant badge for Squad 6 on his left arm. Seeing the badge and symbol on it, Kohaku knew who the man was; it was Renji Abarai. He and Kohaku had met each other a _many _times, and she had the hugest crush on the guy. However, he rarely acknowledged her existence when they were around each other.

She walked closer to Renji and got a closer look at his attractive face. "Why didn't I realize who it was sooner?" She asked herself in a whisper. "Who else in the Soul Society has that bright red hair and those crazy tattoos?" She shook her head and walked over to the table and picked up a tan folder; she skimmed through the papers within and learned that Renji had been training with another Soul Reaper and managed to get his ass kicked in the process. A small smile played across her lips. "Reckless as usual Renji…" She whispered quietly.

After an almost silent sigh, Kohaku made her way over to the chair that placed next to the bed and sat down. She removed Aoiaroshi from her back and rested her against the chair and just stared at Renji; slightly out of boredom, but it was mostly because he was so sexy. As she stared at him, she snickered to herself quietly. She had always wanted an excuse to touch Renji's face, and she realized that now was the perfect time. With another quiet snicker, Kohaku got out of the chair and neared Renji. When the Squad 6 lieutenant was within arm's reach, she laid her right hand on his face and 'took his temperature.' She blushed when she touched him, even though she _knew _he could not see her. "It looks like his 'temperature' is relatively normal." She whispered mischievously but did not remove her hand. Instead, she gently rubbed his face; she was pretty shocked at how soft his skin actually was. "Wow he—" She was cut off when Renji began to move around; she quietly gasped and _quickly _pulled her hand away.

After a couple of seconds, Renji's dark eyes opened slowly and he looked around. "Huh? What—"

Kohaku gasped and began to turn red when he faced her; she cut him off. "Uh…yeah, you're in the Infirmary." She babbled. "Apparently you were training with another Soul Reaper who was stronger than you." She walked over to the folder lying on the table and looked through it again, "Um…it looks like you suffered from a minor concussion and broke a couple of ribs. You're supposed to stay here for at least a couple of weeks; no training and not too much movement."

"I see…so I lost then."

Kohaku put the folder back on the table and headed back to the chair next to the bed and sat down. "I suppose, considering you were sent to the Infirmary and the other guy wasn't."

Renji growled in annoyance and turned his head to face her. "Yeah…I got that; no need to repeat _obvious _information!"

Kohaku crossed her arms and glared at him. "Hey! I'm just doing what I'm supposed to; no need to get a bitchy with me Renji Abarai!"

Renji growled again and turned the other way. "Who's getting bitchy?"

"You better watch yourself, or else I'm gonna make those injuries _worse_!"

He turned back around with an amused expression. "_You_? What can somebody on Squad 4 do?"

Kohaku growled and stood up; she slapped Renji across the face _hard_. "For one I can do that!"

"Ow!" He complained. "What the hell was that for!?"

She rolled her eyes and sat back down angrily. "I'm sorry but you were just _begging _for it! You know I coulda slapped your chest over your broken ribs and I _don't_ think that'd be comfortable, now would it!?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Some medic you are. Aren't you supposed to be looking out for the patient's needs rather than _slapping _them!?"

"Yeah I'm _supposed _to, but you were still begging for it." She explained with her head turned away from his smug expression. "Now don't piss me off again and you won't haveta worry about being smacked, _got it_!?"

"Whatever…"

She nodded and faced him again, but this time she wore a cute smile. "_Good_!" She exclaimed and stood up. She grabbed the white covers that covered Renji and she pulled them down to get a look at his nice, toned, tattooed chest. This move seemed to come as a surprise to him, because he _quickly _looked at her with a shocked expression. "Calm down Renji. I'm just looking over your injuries so I can get to work on fixing you up. Believe it or not, I _am _trained for this kinda thing!" She looked at him with a smile; he just rolled his eyes and turned away from her. She shook her head and ran her hand across his chest; more for _her _enjoyment rather than for figuring out how severe the brakes were, but she was doing it for that too!

He sighed after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you _right_ when I woke up."

Kohaku quit messing with his chest and felt his head in the area the file said was problematic; she felt a large bump and noted that he _had _been bleeding but it had since dried up. "I hope your sorry, cuz you and I are gonna haveta get along for a few weeks. So why were you so worked up?" She questioned, doing as she was taught; to talk to the patients as she worked with them.

Renji sighed; now facing her. "I dunno…I have this 'thing' with losing. I knew that I lost, but hearing you confirm it set me off, you know?"

"I suppose." She said kindly with a smile and grabbed his white ponytail-holder. When she saw a confused look play across Renji's face she spoke, "Trust me, when I take this down your head won't hurt _as much_. Ponytails pull your hair back tightly and they can give you headaches; I'm sure you know that though." She said and removed the ponytail-holder from Renji's red hair and ran her fingers through it for a few seconds. "I'm sorry too…slapping you like that wasn't very nice or smart."

He shrugged simply. "Whatever…it didn't even hurt anyways."

"Yeah it did cuz _you _said 'ow' and I left a big red mark on your face." She laughed embarrassedly. "That probably _didn't _help with the major headache you must have. Like I said; I'm sorry." She covered him back up and headed for the door.

"Where are you goin' Kohaku?" Renji questioned which made her stop in her tracks excitedly; he _did _know her name.

She turned around and looked at him with a grin. "To get you some ice for you headache." She said; pointing to her head when she said the word 'headache.' "I'll be back real quick; I promise!"

He nodded. "K, I'm holding you to that."

"No worries!" She exclaimed with a happy giggle and headed downstairs to get ice. As she was on her way she could not get rid of the happy smile on her face; she decided that she wouldn't mind being put in charge of Renji for a couple weeks. She only wished that it could be longer.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **TA-DA! So that was Chapter One! Did you like? If so, tell me in a Review! Yeah...in case you weren't sure, Kohaku=Me. I would've used the name Ambie, but the random American name REALLY agrivated me, so I changed it to Kohaku! ^_^!


	2. Chapter 2

Kohaku made her way downstairs at a casual pace. Seeing that Renji was talking and aware of what had happened, she knew his injuries really were not doing much to him. She sighed as she walked through the halls of the first floor; this was the place where the more critical patients were tended to and as she made her way to the kitchen she could not get away from the pain and suffering that hovered in the floor's atmosphere. Kohaku lowered her head and watched the wooden ground as she walked; memories of her grandfather would not leave her alone. He too had been held on the first floor, and so much had happened during that time so many years ago.

She cleared her mind and grabbed a door handle and slid it open; she entered the Squad 4 kitchen. She closed the door behind her and walked to the large freezer where ice was kept. She lifted the top and put a small amount of ice into a plastic, sandwich bag; she zipped it up and exited the kitchen. As she walked by the rooms again, she found herself stopping and staring at the empty room 111, the room her grandfather had been held. Absentmindedly, Kohaku entered the white room and stared at the single bed; she pictured her grandfather and memories poured into her mind.

_"…I ended up telling her off, but it _still _bothers me! Can you believe someone could be so…so…grr, so _mean_!? I didn't even do anything." Younger Kohaku said, sitting in the chair in her grandfather's room. Her hair was not in pigtails, but instead it was down and reached the middle of her back. She did not wear the black Soul Reaper uniform, but she wore the red and white one that female, academy students did._

_Kentoki—her grandfather—smiled kindly and nodded at her complaints. "I understand why you're upset Kohaku, but didn't you say that it was an accident? And didn't she apologize to you after you spoke your mind?" His eyes were blue and green, but opposite of Kohaku's; he wore round glasses over them. His white hair was slicked back with bits and pieces hanging in his wrinkled face. His clothes were white and he had many bandages wrapped around his chest and head._

_Kohaku shook her head at her grandfather's many questions. "No Grandpa, I said that _she _said it was an accident, but then I heard her laughing it up with her 'friends' that she did it on purpose! _That _was when I told her off, and when I did she just laughed and rolled her eyes…then she pushed me down and kicked dirt in my face."_

_Kentoki seemed shocked to hear about the kick in the face and his eyes widened. "She did!? You didn't tell me that Kohaku. Did you tell anybody about it?"_

_She shook her head and looked down at the wooden floor. "No…she said if I told anybody that she'd feed me to a Hollow the next time we had training…and she'd do it too!"_

_"Well she can't do that! You'll have instructors around and they wouldn't let her, there's no way."_

_"Maybe, but we're going to graduate here soon and then we'll be dispatched to the Human World, _then _she'll do it. She never forgets about these kinda things…actually she got me back a few days ago for something that happened when we were really little!"_

_Kentoki nodded and smiled at his granddaughter. "Listen here Kohaku, _right when_ I get outta this place I'm going to push that girl to the ground and kick dirt in her snotty little face. Then I'll be sure to take some action against all this bullying that happens at that academy."_

_She giggled and nodded at her grandfather's promise. "I don't think the whole 'dirt-in-face' thing will be worth it."_

_Kentoki laughed lightly and pat Kohaku atop her head. "I know, but I'd do anything for my lil granddaughter. I want you to remember that ok?" Kohaku nodded and hugged him tightly._

Kohaku emerged from her sea of thoughts when she felt warm tears fall from her mix-matched eyes. "Grandpa…" she whispered almost silently. She clenched the bag of ice and held it closer to her chest as she began to quietly sob. "I-It's not fair…he's gone because of a damned _machine_! His death can't be avenged, and I can't place the blame on anybody…he just—" she cut herself off and fell to her knees, "—it's not fair I—" This time, light footsteps cut her off instead of herself.

"Kohaku?" The unmistakable voice of her Captain questioned from the door. "Why aren't you upstairs?" Kohaku did not respond, she just continued to sob quietly. Unohana heard and approached her; she gently laid a kind hand on Kohaku's shoulder. "I understand why you're here."

Feeling her Captain's deep concern caused Kohaku to cry harder. "It was a _machine _Captain, a machine… There's nothing I can do about it to make me feel better. As far as I know…it'll never be alright."

Unohana walked to stand in front of her and bent down to her height. "Look at me please." Kohaku obeyed and looked up into Unohana's kind, blue eyes with the mix-matched, teary ones of her own. Unohana laid a hand on Kohaku's face in a motherly gesture. "I want you to listen to what I have to say to you." Kohaku managed to stop crying and nod. "I know that the incident was labeled as a 'Machinery Accident,' but that was not the case. When I heard about what had happened to the kind, old man, I was desperate to know _what _had gone wrong with the machine; I needed to know to ease my guilt _and _for your benefit."

Kohaku was confused. "'My benefit?' Why?"

Unohana smiled kindly. "I know that you and I did not have any interaction while your grandfather was here, but each time I was to give him his medication, he'd tell me all sorts of wonderful stories about you. Although I did not know you, I felt as though you and I were close; it's a strange feeling I cannot explain." She explained sweetly, but her smile faded after a few seconds. "Right after Kentoki's death, I immediately came into this room to try and figure out what had gone wrong with the machine. I knew that it may have been a medical error, but I did not like the thought of someone from my Medical Squad being under-trained.

"The first thing I did was try and figure out _what _machine had malfunctioned. I spent the entire night trying to find an error with _any _machine, but I found nothing wrong with any of them; everything was perfect. That was when a terrible thought entered my mind," Unohana continued to explain, "I thought that that sweet, old man might have been murdered. 'That couldn't happen; not by somebody in my Squad.' I told myself; I kept repeating that in my mind and I checked all the machines once again…but still nothing was wrong." She explained and Kohaku listened closely, still not saying a word. "When I was given the order to perform the autopsy I found something out and my worse fears were recognized. Kohaku, your grandfather was poisoned by somebody; the poison caused his bodily functions to stop working _immediately _when it was used and that is what caused his death."

"Wh-what?" Kohaku questioned almost silently. "N-No…he didn't—he—who would—" She stumbled over her words and silenced.

Unohana removed her hand from Kohaku's shoulder. "That is exactly how I reacted when I learned the truth." She sighed sadly and looked down. "I'm sure you're wondering why I did not do anything, correct?" Kohaku just turned her head away slowly. "I did do something; I told all the other Captains about my discoveries, but they did not do anything about it. I was told if I were to tell anybody else that I would be in deep trouble."

"Did you ever figure out who it was?"

Unohana shook her head slowly. "No, because no investigation was ever launched."

Any prior hope that Kohaku may have had at that moment immediately faded and she looked at the ground sadly. "I see. Well…who were the medics assigned to him? Please…tell me you know."

Unohana stood up and offered help to Kohaku. "I'm not supposed to share that information, you know that." She said and Kohaku took her captain's small hand and hoisted herself up; she looked down immediately after. The two of them remained silent for several moments. "However," Unohana said, shattering the silence, "you _are _family that wishes to investigate his death, and by rule I'm permitted to give you any information about his stay. I am to tell you all I can provide."

Kohaku smiled up at her kind captain. "You'll do it!"

"Of course I will. It is part of being the Captain of Squad 4, but it is going to take some time to gather up all of the information you need. You'll need to hang in there for a few weeks, and then I'll have the necessary resources."

Kohaku bowed. "Thank you," she said formally, "this really means a lot to me. It's gonna answer so many questions."

Unohana smiled and pat Kohaku atop the head. "You're very welcome." She said and walked to Room 111's doors and turned back around. "I think it'd be best if you were to get back to your patient; you never know what may happen if the medic is not there."

Kohaku looked down at the bag she held in her hands, and saw that all the ice she had put in it had since melted. She realized that she had held the bag close to her body, and the heat caused it to melt. "Before I go back to him, I'll need to get more ice…"

Unohana nodded with a smile. "Well you better hurry then, huh?"

"Yeah, you're right." Kohaku said and Unohana walked away. With another glance at the bed she said, "I'm gonna figure out who did it, Grandpa; trust me." She turned around and exited Room 111, closing the door behind her without another word.

***

Kohaku walked into the Squad 4 kitchen a second time and once again filled the bag and zipped it closed. After she closed the bag, she closed the freezer and exited the kitchen. She once again walked by Room 111, but this time she did not stop and break down, instead she took a left and ascended the staircase. When she got to the top of the stairs, she turned right and reentered Room 212. Once her sandaled foot stepped into the room she heard Renji clear his throat. "Took you awhile, Kohaku." He said simply.

She giggled lightly and closed the door. "Yeah, sorry about that, I kinda had an…episode." She said simply and approached Renji's bed. She handed the bag of ice to him wearing the cutest smile she could manage. "This'll help with your headache." He smirked and gently took the clear bag from her. When he grabbed it, Kohaku got a good look at his large hand; it was calloused pretty badly along the palm. "How often do you train, Renji?" She asked when he was resting the bag on his forehead.

He smirked and turned to face her, lifting the bag slightly. "You wanna know the days, or the hours?"

"Um…both!"

"A lot." He answered simply and rested the bag on his head again. "We'll leave it at that."

"Oh, I see." She replied and walked to the chair that was placed next to Renji's bed. When she reached the white chair, she gently sat down in it and grabbed Aoiaroshi; she placed her back on her back. "Any particular reason _why _you train so much?"

"Simply put; I've gotta get stronger to surpass a certain someone. That, and I wanna be able to protect people who are important to me."

She nodded in understanding. "Who are they? I-I mean you—uh—you don't _haveta _tell me if you don't wanna! I-I'm just trying to get a conversation started here…heh-heh…"

Renji lifted the bag and turned to Kohaku with an amused expression. "Why are you asking _me _all the questions to strike up a conversation? What if I'm curious about _you_?"

Kohaku laughed lightly and scratched the back of her head. "My life's not that exciting; I'm in Squad 4 remember?"

He shrugged simply. "So? What if I'm curious about what it's like in the Medical Division?"

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Please…you can't be serious." She said, but Renji wore a straight face. "Heh-heh…your concussion's gotta be worse than originally thought if you're curious about Squad 4."

"Maybe it is, maybe it's not, I dunno." He responded with another shrug. "I just wanna hear about someone other than me." He said and placed the bag of ice back on his forehead and closed his eyes. A moment later he lifted it up again and looked at Kohaku. "K, if you don't wanna talk about Squad 4, then tell me about your Zanpakuto. While you were gone, I got to looking at it and saw that the guard had a weird shape to it."

Kohaku crossed her arms, seeming insulted by Renji's casual comment. "'Weird!?' It's not weird…it's a flower geez…"

"Why a flower?" He questioned. "Any particular reason for that?"

Kohaku removed Aoiaroshi and her sheath from her back and looked at her. "No, it just looks good with her. It sorta proves that she's a girl, y'know?"

Renji raised an eyebrow. "It's a girl?" He asked and Kohaku nodded. "That's pretty rare. Only a handful of Soul Reapers' Zanpakuto's are girls, I guess that makes you lucky." He said. "What's she called?"

"Her name's Aoiaroshi, pretty right?" Kohaku answered with a smile.

He shrugged simply and pulled himself into a sitting position. "I guess." He answered and looked at Aoiaroshi curiously. "Can I see her for a second?"

Kohaku raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "For what purpose?" She asked and pulled Aoiaroshi away from Renji.

"I've never seen a female Zanpakuto, and I'm curious if there's a difference."

"Ugh…you remind me of Captain Mayuri. He's asked me the same thing before…and it creeped me out." She said and shuddered at the thought of Captain Mayuri's, creepy, painted face. "Poor Squad 12…"

Renji raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like Captain Mayuri to you?"

"I didn't say you looked like him, I said you reminded me of him for a sec, that's all!" She said and handed Renji Aoiaroshi. "Be careful, ok?"

"I will, no worries." He said and studied the long sword. The hilt of the weapon was long and diagonally striped blue and green. The guard of the weapon was like a five-pedaled flower and was also blue and green. Aoiaroshi was placed inside of a green sheath with strips of purple material wrapped around it in two places. "It looks like you take good care of her, that or you just don't use her."

Kohaku looked down. "A bit of both, but mostly the second one…"

Renji seemed confused. "Doesn't she have any healing abilities?" He asked curiously.

She shook her head and looked back up at him. "No she doesn't. So in order for me to heal people I've gotta rely on Kido skills, which luckily I'm really good at."

Renji smirked. "Speak for yourself." He said simply and unsheathed Aoiaroshi to look at the blade. "At least her blade is nice and sharp…"

"I guess." Kohaku replied with a shrug. "Can I have her back now?" She asked and Renji nodded and handed her Aoiaroshi. Kohaku placed her in the correct place on her back. "Thanks. So what'd ya think? Does she seem different from yours?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Zabimaru is a lot heavier and probably wouldn't swing as well."

"Do you think she could get really powerful if I trained?"

"She seems plenty powerful right now, she's just dying to be used; I can tell." Renji explained.

Kohaku nodded slowly. "Well, I've been dying to use her in battle, but Squad 4 doesn't see any action, and I don't have anybody to train with."

"I see." Renji said with a nod, but seemed to be thinking of something deeper. "Anyways…how do you go about feeding patients?"

Kohaku giggled lightly. "I'm supposed to do that!" She said happily and stood up. "Do you want something right now, or what?"

Renji smiled. "Sounds good to me." Kohaku nodded and exited Room 212 and—for the third time—headed for the kitchen. After preparing a nice meal for Renji, and giving him some painkillers, the day was over and Kohaku headed home. With a smile, she walked into her house and slipped into her pajamas; after some dinner of her own, she went to bed.

***

VIII


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three****:**

The next morning Kohaku awoke earlier than she usually did. When she caught sight of the time, she heavily sighed and stared up at the ceiling above her; boring, dull and white. As she stared up, she had hoped that she would get tired again and sleep for the whole _hour _she had left until she was needed in the Squad 4 Barracks. Forty-five minutes rolled by, and Kohaku was _still _staring up at the ceiling; she was not even tired, she was actually rather entertained.

With a sigh she stood up and stretched her arms above her head and a yawn escaped her. She remade her bed and got dressed properly for the day she had ahead of her. Once her Soul Reaper clothing was on, she stood in front of the single mirror in her room and styled her hair in pigtails; her usual style. Once she brushed through her hair that had been pulled through the hair-ties she looked at the clock again. "What?" She growled in annoyance. "It hasn't even been three minutes!" She growled again and decided that she might as well head for the Barracks at her own pace.

She slipped on her straw sandals and exited her home. After she slid the door closed behind her, she walked through the Soul Society at a casual pace; hoping to run into any of her friends that she had been too busy to talk to lately. She walked a short distance, and spotted Brit Noelia and Pyanfar Starchaser in mid-conversation just ahead of her. She smiled as she approached them, but she could not deny the envy that had filled her. Sure they were two of her best friends, but Kohaku felt so unsuccessful standing next to them; she was on Squad 4 while Brit was the captain of Squad 5 and Pyanfar was the captain of Squad 3. Putting aside her jealousy, Kohaku kept the kind smile on her face. "Good morning Captains." She said with a bow and a light snicker.

Brit smiled kindly at her, while Pyanfar just nodded in her direction. "Hi Kohaku! It's been awhile hasn't it?" Brit asked happily.

Kohaku nodded. "Yup! It's been a few months anyways. How have my two favorite captains been lately?"

"We've been busy, like usual." Pyanfar answered. Her brown hair was at medium length and she wore two flowers in it which Kohaku loved since they did not fit her character to the slightest. Her eyes were jade green and she wore a smirk upon her face.

Brit nodded in agreement and released a tired yawn. "Yeah, busy and tired. What about you?" Brit's hair was brown and pulled into a single, high-sitting ponytail. All throughout her hair, she had many streaks of purple that matched her eyes. Rather than the smirk that Pyanfar wore, Brit had a kind of motherly smile on her face as she spoke.

Kohaku sighed and shrugged. "Actually, Squad 4 has been swamped lately. I dunno why, I guess that people are just getting real careless. Can you guess who my most recent patient is?" Both of the captains shook their heads and Kohaku turned to Pyanfar with a mischievous grin. "Your man's lieutenant!" Pyanfar blushed slightly and turned her head away. It was no secret that—at some point—Pyanfar Starchaser and Byakuya Kuchiki had hooked up, but there were still times that Pyanfar would get flustered when reminded.

Brit giggled lightly at her best friend's embarrassment and turned back to Kohaku. "What'd Renji get himself into _this _time?"

"Recklessness." Kohaku answered simply with a shrug. "A training exercise went bad. Now he's gotta concussion and a few broken ribs…I don't even know _who _the guy was fighting."

Pyanfar, apparently recovered from her previous embarrassment, laughed. "He's pathetic." She said simply and crossed her arms with an amused look.

At first, Kohaku was a little angry about Pyanfar's comment, but she managed to shake it away pretty much right after it set in. "Y-Yeah…I know what you mean." She replied, lying.

Pyanfar just nodded, while an unreadable expression played across Brit's face; she smiled and pat Kohaku atop the head. "It happens."

"But it happens to some more than others." Pyanfar added with a grin.

Kohaku scratched the back of her head and laughed lightly, almost awkwardly. "Like Renji…right?"

Pyanfar nodded. "Ye—"

Brit smacked her on the arm lightly with an unhappy look. "No, _others _go to the Infirmary more than Renji." She said and crossed her arms. "I know a few…"

Kohaku raised an eyebrow, confused. "Um…ok then." She said and shrugged. "Well, it was nice talking with you two, but now I need to get to the Infirmary. I'll see you around, ok?"

Brit waved. "Bye-bye Kohaku." Pyanfar mimicked Brit's movements and Kohaku walked away from the two captains, slightly depressed.

Although Kohaku had gone to the Academy with Brit and Pyanfar, she had not been strong enough to even make it on a squad that saw _some _action. It was not that she was weak, it was just that when the Final Exercise came rolling around, Kohaku had just lost her Grandpa, and with him the rest of her family. As she was participating in the exercise, she was completely spacey and could not focus. The result was her being placed on Squad 4. She sighed to herself while she made her way to the Barracks. "In the end; I just wasn't good enough I guess." She whispered to herself. "No…I _was _good enough…but I wasn't given a fair chance…I just wish I—" Suddenly Kohaku was cut off and found herself on her butt on the ground, dazed and dumbfounded.

"What the hell you stupid Squad 4 member!? Weren't you trained to _watch where you're goin'_!?" An angry man's voice yelled. Right after he spoke, the laughter of other men filled the area.

Kohaku looked up and saw the man was big, and he _was not _happy. With an annoyed expression, she concluded that he had to be a member of Squad 11. Angrily, she stood up and glared at the man that was very much larger than herself. "_Hey! _You gotta problem with me!?" She yelled, not even _slightly _afraid to pick a fight.

The large man glared and he clenched his fists. He took a few steps towards Kohaku, obviously intending to scare her, which did not happen; she remained in her spot. "Yeah, I _do _gotta problem with you! A lowly member of Squad 4 shouldn't be wandering the streets, ya might run into a member of Squad 11." He said and Kohaku just rolled her mix-matched eyes. The man popped his knuckles and neck. "Looks like today ain't a good day for you girly?"

Kohaku crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She questioned. "Ok then, come here and fight me."

The man's 'friends' erupted into laughter again, and the original man joined them. "You that desperate to end your pointless life?" He questioned, but Kohaku did not move. "I'll have you know that Squad 11 is—"

"'Squad 11 is the Squad that the strongest fighters are placed in.'" She finished for the man. "You act like I haven't heard that one before."

The man glared angrily and grabbed her by her shirt and got into her face; his red and unhappy. "I'm getting tired of hearin' your mouth. You want me to make you shut it?" Kohaku locked eyes with the man and casually raised her right leg and kicked him in…a _very _uncomfortable place. Right when her foot made contact, the man released her and grabbed himself on instinct. "You got guts, Bitch!" He yelled and recovered from the kick and unsheathed his Zanpakuto. However, before the man had _completely _removed the sword, Kohaku had unsheathed Aoiaroshi and she held her at the spot the man had been kicked.

She grinned evilly as the man froze in his tracks. "Take one step, and I cut what little you have off. Don't think I won't do it." She looked the man in the eyes with an expression that showed she was serious about the threat.

The man was _definitely _unhappy that Kohaku had drawn her sword before him. "You ever heard of payback?" He questioned angrily.

"Yeah, plenty of times." She replied simply. "If you're gonna do it, just know that I'll be expecting it." She said and placed Aoiaroshi back into her sheath casually. "I'll help ya out here; my name's Kohaku and I'll _gladly _accept any challenge you throw my way, _got it!?_"

The man grinned evilly. "I'm—"

"I don't give a shit about who you are, or what seat you hold in your squad." She said with a straight face. "I'll see you again, than I'll prove a lil' something about Squad 4." She said and flash-stepped away just as the man was getting ready to slice at her with his Zanpakuto. She did not leave the area, she only moved to the roof of a nearby house and looked down at the dumbfounded man. "Told ya I'd be expecting it."

The man looked up at her from the ground. "You've got it coming, ya Squad 4 lil' bitch!" Kohaku did not reply, she only rolled her eyes and flash-stepped to the Squad 4 Barracks.

When she got there, less than a second later, she casually walked inside and bowed to her captain who was nearby. "Good morning Captain Unohana." She greeted and lifted her head with a happy smile.

"Hello Kohaku." She replied with a smile of her own. "I've already taken the liberty of giving your patient his breakfast. When you get in there, I want you to check over his injuries and give him his medicine."

Kohaku bowed with a smile. "Yes Captain." She said and headed up to room 212 at a casual pace. The closer she got, the more anxious she became to see Renji. She reached the room after a couple more seconds, and entered with a happy smile. "Hiya Renji!" She greeted happily. "Didja sleep alright?"

He turned his head and nodded at Kohaku. "Hey." He replied simply. "I slept ok for a guy who's in a Hospital bed."

She smiled and walked towards the bed. "Sorry, but if you were a lil more careful, this kinda stuff wouldn't happen, now would it?" She questioned and pat his red head lightly. His hair was still down and bits and pieces of it hung in his face.

He rolled his brown eyes. "Yeah, yeah…I've already been told today." He said with an annoyed sigh. "Captain Unohana lectured me for fifteen minutes earlier."

Kohaku laughed lightly and walked over to the area the orange pill bottles were stored. She opened the prescription for Renji and grabbed out two, little white pills, she closed the bottle right after and placed it back in the cabinet. She picked up a glass and filled it halfway with water and made her way back to Renji. "Here ya go! Take these while I check over your injuries."

Renji held out his right hand and Kohaku gave him the pills and the water. He placed the pills in his mouth and washed them down with the water. "Ugh…they're not coated or anything!?" He exclaimed and took a _huge _drink of water, finishing off the rest of the glass.

Kohaku giggled lightly and gently took the glass from him. "No, they work better when _not _coated. That's why, when I need to take uncoated medicine, I always use the water first _then _I take the pill! That way I don't haveta taste the oober yuckiness!"

Renji shook his head wearing a smirk. "'Oober yuckiness?' What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like!" She replied happily and placed the glass on a nearby table. She got close to Renji's _nice _chest when she returned. "Ok, lemme know when I hurt you. I need to figure out _exactly _what ribs you broke." She said and saw Renji nod simply. She returned it and laid her hands on his chest and applied fair amounts of pressure over his ribs. The first couple of times, Renji did not respond to the pressure, but by the time she reached his third rib on the left side, he winced in pain.

"Yeah…that one hurt."

Kohaku nodded and grabbed a clip board and wrote down what rib caused him the most pain. Once she finished, she put the clip board back down and continued what she was doing before. "Alright, I need to work with the right side." She said and Renji nodded, obviously not looking forward to _more _pain. She smiled at him encouragingly and worked with the right side. When she reached rib number two he winced like before and Kohaku took note. She continued to apply pressure to his ribs and he did not respond until she reached the last rib on the right side. "Ok…so you broke three. You're not having a hard time breathing or anything, are you?" She asked professionally.

"No, I'm good in that department." He replied while rubbing his chest. "Damn…wasn't there a better way of figuring out what ribs I broke? Cuz that hurt…"

Kohaku smiled slightly. "Yeah, but that's the quickest way. It also causes the least pain."

He sighed. "How long do I need to stay here? Any ideas?"

Kohaku held the clip board in front of her and grinned slightly. "You really don't like it here, huh?" She questioned and nodded. "I understand. It'll probably be a few weeks at the most, that is if you keep recovering as quickly as you are now." She explained and saw Renji nod in understanding. "So…how's your head feel?"

"It's better, the headache I had yesterday is completely gone." He answered.

Kohaku took note of his response and nodded. "You're not tired or anything, are you?"

Renji smirked. "No, I'm just bored."

She giggled happily and nodded once again. "I'd imagine." She replied and thought momentarily. "You have three broken ribs, and a minor concussion…hmm…I'd say you'd be allowed to go outside after a few more days."

Renji leaned his head back and rolled his eyes. "'Days?' Damn…"

Kohaku smiled and put the clip board on the table behind her and sat down in the chair that was placed near the bed. "Better days than weeks, right?"

He sighed in annoyance and shrugged. "I guess so…but still."

"I'm sure you'll have visitors, then you can talk to them. I'm here too if you're _really _bored."

"I doubt I'll get _that _bored." He said and turned to Kohaku with a smirk.

She crossed her arms and looked away, appearing insulted. "Well _that _was nice to say…"

"It was wasn't it?"

Kohaku smiled and playfully smacked his arm. "Bastard!"

He gently rubbed the area he where he was smacked and smiled. "So I've been told." He said and Kohaku stuck her tongue out at him. The two of them continued to pick on each other for a while, but it eventually transformed into an actual conversation. They talked about random things, from Renji's recovery to what he was going to do once he was out of the Infirmary. However, throughout the entire time, never once did Kohaku speak about herself despite the questions from Renji. Before they knew it, the day was through and Kohaku had to head home for the night, although she _really _did not want to.

~*~*~*~

_The machine made a constant beeping sound and Kohaku stared in horror. Not even ten minutes ago, Kentoki had been fine; laughing and smiling, but now the machine read that he had no heartbeat. "Grandpa! H-Hey…you were just fine a second ago you were—" Suddenly footsteps rushed into the room and four Squad 4 members loomed over Kentoki._

_A taller man with medium-length, brown hair and blue eyes gently laid a hand upon Kohaku's slumped shoulder. "We're going to have to ask you to leave." He said calmly, but it was obvious something terrible was happening._

_Kohaku held her hands over her mouth and shook her head with tears filling her mix-matched eyes. "Un-uh I—" She rushed pass the brown-haired man and to her grandfather. "Grandpa! Hey Grandpa! O-Open your eyes ok? Please! You have to, you can't die you can't—"_

_Another one of the medics turned to Kohaku. "You need to get outta here. We can't save him if we can't get to him!" This medic was a female with long blonde hair worn in a loose bun. She had glasses that covered her bright, blue eyes. "J-Just stand outside the room and I promise he'll be saved." Kohaku did not move, she just stared at her grandfather in shock and fear. "Ikiru, get her outta here!" She commanded. The man with brown hair nodded and gently picked up Kohaku and took her outside of the room. He closed the door and stood out there with her, throwing her encouraging looks._

_"No…the…can't fig…what happ…mach—" The voices from the other side of room 111 were muffled and Kohaku could not make out anything they were saying. "Did…well why…too much…how—"_

_Kohaku was paralyzed by shock as she heard how baffled the medics sounded. "Why can't they—do they even—"_

_Ikiru, the brown-haired man, got down to Kohaku's height. "Listen…this is something that Squad 4 is taught to deal with." He said kindly. "There's no need to worry yourself over this, I think it'll be just fine, ok?"_

_Kohaku's eyes widened and she gasped. "You only _think _that it'll be alright!? Can't you save anybody with—"_

_"We're medics, not miracle-workers. We'll do everything we can, but sometimes Destiny can be cruel…we cannot change that."_

_Kohaku fell to her knees and began to sob loudly, many tears fell from her different colored eyes. "I just wanna know…what happened? Why Grandpa he's always been—he was just fine—I don't understand!" For several minutes, Kohaku and Ikiru stood outside Room 111 in silence. Once the fifteen minute mark passed, the door opened and the blonde-haired girl stepped out; her face implying nothing but bad news. She walked up to Ikiru and whispered something to him; he nodded and entered the room once again._

_The girl got down to Kohaku's height and pulled her into a caring hug. "I'm so sorry, Honey." She said kindly and Kohaku _knew _what was coming next; she hugged the girl back and cried louder. "I promise you, we did everything we could…but it wasn't enough to save your grandfather."_

_Kohaku hugged the girl tighter as tears streamed down her face. "…Why? Why Grandpa? He's—he was all I had left…"_

_The girl ran her fingers through Kohaku's brown hair and she nodded. "I know…that's why we tried so hard. Never should someone have to be alone…I'm so sorry." Kohaku looked at the door and cried more as she pictured her grandfather's cheerful face. She looked back down and the kind girl tightened her hold on her._

Kohaku's eyes shot open and she sat up in bed. In remembrance of the dream she had had so many times before, she pulled her knees close to her chest and rested her head on them. She silently cried to herself for a few minutes. Once she slightly calmed down, she looked at the calendar and read the date; April 13, the fifteenth year anniversary of her Grandfather's death. Every year on this date, she would have that dream, about when it happened. She would also stay home that day, but this year she could not; she had a patient this year. "I-I can't let him see me cry…I _won't _let him see me cry, I won't let anybody."

She wiped away the tears that remained on her face and stood up. She looked at the clock and saw that she had awaken at a decent time. She had fifteen minutes to get ready for the dreadful day that surely awaited her. She fixed her bed and got dressed, not bothering with making her hair look nice; she just kept it as it was, she did not care today. She walked to her door and pulled on her straw sandals and exited her empty house; she slowly made her way to the Infirmary. As of today, Renji had been in his room for two weeks; he was scheduled to be released at noon.

She walked through the Soul Society and spotted Amaterasu talking with a few other members of Squad 11. Kohaku turned her eyes away, but Amaterasu saw her and made her way over. "Hey Kohaku…" She greeted sadly. Amaterasu was one of the only people that knew what April 13 commemorated. "Aren't you supposed to be home today?"

Kohaku shook her head slowly. "I have a patient; I can't take the day off." She replied almost silently.

Amaterasu nodded and pulled her friend into a hug. "I hope you do ok today. I don't want the date to interfere with your daily routine, ok?"

"I know…but I'm gonna be _there _today; at the Barracks. And I know that _right _as I walk by that room I'll break down…it actually happened a few weeks ago."

Amaterasu looked down and released her hold on Kohaku. "I wish there was more I could do…"

Kohaku managed a sad smile. "Thanks for your concern, but there's isn't anything anyone can…unless I—"

Amaterasu raised an eyebrow. "Unless you what?"

Kohaku shook her head. "No, nothing. Sorry, but I need to get to the Barracks. I'll see ya later." She said and flash-stepped to the Infirmary. By the time she arrived, an entire second had been used; she was not as fast as she normally was because of the stress she felt. She walked through the doors and bowed to Unohana. "Good morn—"

Unohana's blue eyes were blood shot and she had a few tear-stains on her face. "Kohaku!" She exclaimed in shock and wiped away the tears that still rolled down her face. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean for you to see me like this."

At the sight of her own captain crying, Kohaku became unable to hold back _more _tears that threatened her vision. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Kohaku desperately wiped them away. "Th-that's ok Captain…I just—" She cut herself off as she began to sob lightly. "I-I'm sorry to—"

Unohana shook her head and approached Kohaku. "No…no apologies from either of us. Sometimes it's good for us to cry, ok?" She asked and pulled Kohaku into a motherly hug. "You did not need to come in today, we're releasing Renji Abarai at noon, you're aware of that aren't you?"

Kohaku hugged her captain back and nodded. "I know…but if I didn't, I would've just stayed in bed all day in a pathetic sobbing heap." She said with a dry laugh. "I think that seeing Renji released will make me a little happier; he's really been wanting outta here."

Unohana nodded and released Kohaku from her hold and looked at her hair; she smiled. "Your hair looks pitiful."

Kohaku nodded. "I know, I didn't feel like messing with it."

Unohana shook her head and removed the two hair-ties from Kohaku's hair. "I know today isn't a great day, but you don't need to look sloppy." She said with a smile as she parted Kohaku's hair down the middle in a zigzag pattern, leaving her bangs to frame her face. Once it was neatly parted, Unohana pulled the left side of Kohaku's hair up and wrapped the blue hair-tie around it. She mimicked the step a second time on the right side, but she used the green hair-tie instead. Once she finished she looked at her work and nodded. "Much better." She said with a kind smile.

Kohaku returned the smile and looked into a nearby mirror and nodded in approval. "Thanks Captain, it looks nice." Unohana smiled kindly and nodded. Kohaku looked at the new style once again, then turned to her Captain. "I'm going up to Renji's room. I'll see you later," she said, "and no more crying ok?"

Unohana smiled with an understanding nod. "I understand. The same for you." Kohaku nodded and headed upstairs and reached Room 212. She opened the door slowly and wiped at her eyes again, to make sure she did not look like she was crying.

When she got inside, she saw that Renji was still asleep on the white bed. For two weeks, Kohaku had been looking over Renji, and in that time her feelings for him continued to grow more and more. She did not know if it was because she was with him for so long, or if it was something else, but she did not care. She sighed silently to herself and sat down in the chair next to the bed and waited for him to wake up. She wanted to make sure she was able to spend time with him today, since she concluded that the chances of them meeting each other again were slim. Squad 4 was often cut off from the other twelve squads, and it was unlikely that a lieutenant would waste his time on a low ranking Squad 4 member. "Basically he's too good for me…I know this." She whispered to herself and reached for his red hair. She smiled and ran her fingers through it in an attempt to wake him up.

After a few seconds, Renji grabbed Kohaku's wrist gently. "Cut it out Kohaku." He said sleepily and opened his brown eyes. "Couldn't you lemme sleep a lil longer?" He asked and released his hold on her with a grin.

She shook her head. "Nope, cuz today is my last day to bother you." She replied and messed with Renji's red hair again; she loved how soft it was.

He did not stop her, this time he just sighed. "Who says it's the last day?" He questioned. "Today's the last day I'll be here, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna cut off all communication with you."

She giggled and kept playing with his hair. "Sure you say that now, but you'll end up getting all busy and stuff, then I'll be the least of your worries." She said with a smile and looked him in the eye. "You know I'm right!"

Renji smirked and shook his head. "Nope." He stated. "Even if I _do _get busy, I'll somehow manage to bug you." He said and looked at her; he raised an eyebrow. "You're hair's different today."

Kohaku felt herself blushing at his comment. "You noticed?" She asked and smiled. "Wow! I always thought guys _never _noticed these things!"

Renji raised an eyebrow. "It's really obvious. It's similar, but still different." He said and Kohaku kept the happy smile stayed on her face. After a couple of seconds, he pulled himself up and looked Kohaku in the eyes. "Have you been…crying?"

Kohaku's mix-matched eyes went wide and she shook her head. "N-No! What would I be crying for I—" As tears began to threaten her vision, she shook her head more and desperately wiped them away. "I don't—" Tears did not stop flowing and she quickly turned away from Renji's worried gaze. The _one _thing she did not want to happen had, and before she knew it, she was on her knees lightly sobbing.

Renji climbed out of his bed and stood in front of Kohaku. He got down to her height and stared for a couple seconds. "Was that my fault?" He asked worriedly. Kohaku looked up at him with teary eyes and she shook her head. As he stared at her, an unfamiliar emotion filled him; he felt that he had to protect her in any way possible. Whereas a few day ago, he would have just laughed as she fought. "Well…what's wrong?" He asked kindly, almost _too_ kindly for Renji.

"No, it's nothing…today's just—" She cried a bit louder and shook her head, her face covered by her hands. "Today's just a—it's a bad day…"

At this point, Renji was clueless; he did not know what he was supposed to do. He never had this problem before. "I know you're upset, but can you manage to tell me _exactly _what's wrong? I wanna make sure it wasn't my fault…"

Kohaku wiped at her eyes and looked up at Renji with a sad smile; she shook her head. "I promise you," she said and wiped at her eyes again, "this isn't your fault. Not in any way…" She answered and laughed dryly. "Man…I've gotta look pretty damn pathetic right about now, huh? Even after I promised Captain Unohana that I wouldn't cry, here I am on my knees bawling my eyes out."

Renji shook his head. "I don't think you look pathetic. I think you look like you're…well I really can't explain _exactly _what I think, but it's _not _pathetic!" He said awkwardly; he was never any good at cheering people up. "You just look like you're sad and need to talk about something."

Kohaku giggled lightly. "This is something new to you, huh?" She asked and wiped at more tears that fell from her differently colored eyes.

"Kinda." He stated.

Kohaku nodded slowly. "To put it simply, today's the fifteenth year anniversary of my Grandpa's death." She answered sadly. "N-Normally I'd stay home…but I'm in-charge of your recovery, and since you're scheduled to be released at noon, I would've felt bad for missing it. I thought you'd be able to cheer me up, but I wasn't able to hold it back; it's not your fault Renji."

"I sorta feel like it is, since I brought it up and all."

Kohaku regained her composure and stood up straight. "No, you're doing a good job at keeping me cheery. Thanks for that." She said with a smile.

Renji stood up and laid his large hand atop Kohaku's head. "Sorry I made you cry. That was the last thing I wanted to do, do you forgive me?"

Kohaku glared. "I already—" She cut herself off when she read his expression and sighed. "Yeah…I forgive you." She said and removed his hand. "I know you didn't mean to; you didn't know…"

"So I _did _make you cry!" He exclaimed. "Honestly, I'm really sorry about that!"

Kohaku got on her tip-toes to reach the top of Renji's head. "It's ok!" She said and gently pat his head kindly. She ran her fingers through his hair for a short amount of time and dropped her hand with a smile. "I love your hair!" She said happily. "It's so soft and nice!"

Renji smirked and shook his head. "I figured considering how often you insist on play with it." Kohaku nodded and she and Renji kept conversation going until noon. After eating a small lunch with Kohaku, Renji had to go back to his squad and get back to work. "C'ya around, Kohaku." He said and flash-stepped away.

She stared after him for a bit and sighed. "Bye." She said and walked back home sadly. When she entered her house, reality set in; she realized that she and Renji probably would not have any contact for the longest time, and that thought was enough to sadden Kohaku. But she knew that she'd have to move on, other patients would come in, and the same pattern would happen. That's just the way it was being in Squad 4.

~*~*~*~

XIII


	4. Chapter 4

**Ambie's Note: **Here's Chapter Four! Yay for even numbers! Ok…so this is a pretty short chapter, but it _is _important! Oh yeah…this chapter has some…pretty bad language in it; just a little FYI. Um…yeah so that's all I haveta tell ya!

**Disclaimer: **Bleach does not belong to me and never will. However Kohaku _is _my character! Hana belongs to my sister and Raquarah is my sister's friend's character! Amaya belongs to my friend!

~*~*~*~

Kohaku opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned sleepily, she knew that today would be a very typical day for her, no Renji to lift her mood. She assumed that she'd receive a new patient and they _definitely_ would not be as fun as Renji was. With a sigh, she uncovered her body and stood up, once again she stretched. When she was steady, she bent down and fixed her bed slowly…on purpose. Once everything was straightened out, Kohaku proceeded to get dressed and style her hair. After she was pleased with her look—the same style Unohana had done the day before—she grabbed Aoiaroshi and stopped as a strange feeling swept over her. Because of how sudden it had happened, Kohaku ended up falling to her knees, then to her stomach; unconscious.

_After what felt like a few seconds, Kohaku's differently colored eyes opened and took in her surroundings. She was no longer in her house, but instead she was within the world Aoiaroshi thrived within. The world was a blue, lush forest; trees and rivers were all around and everything appeared to be illuminated by a beautiful, blue light. "Kohaku…please come to me." A female's beautiful voice whispered as Kohaku stood up. Immediately after the voice was heard, Kohaku could tell that it had been the spirit of Aoiaroshi calling to her._

_As she was told to do, Kohaku calmly made her way through the beautiful world that was the home of her Zanpakuto's spirit. She traveled through the blue forest and reached a clearing in the middle. She entered the clearing slowly and looked around for the spirit. "I'm here." She said and a gentle breeze picked up, blowing Kohaku's brown pigtails. After a couple of seconds, a light appeared before her and faded soon after. As it faded, Kohaku could clearly see the shape of a beautiful dragon, but distinct features could not be made out. "You called for me, Aoiaroshi, what do you need?"_

_Two dark blue orbs appeared upon the face of the dragon's blue silhouette; her eyes. "I must tell you of a danger that quietly approaches you." She said in a motherly voice. "This is something you will be unfamiliar with, and in order to get passed it, you must be able to use my powers to the maximum. Do you understand Kohaku?"_

_She nodded in understanding. "You're saying that I need to reach Bankai before a certain time limit, aren't you?" She asked, already knowing the answer._

_Aoiaroshi's silhouette approached Kohaku with a nod. "Yes. You must be able to perfect it. If you do not, you will be unable to settle an old score you have with one you do not know. The abilities this person holds are something that have not been seen for hundreds of years. You understand, yes?"_

_Kohaku raised a brown eyebrow. "In a way…but who _is _this someone? What do they have to do with me?" _

_Aoiaroshi shook her head and backed away from Kohaku slowly. "This information must be learned on your own; I cannot reveal the future to you, but I can forewarn you about an obstacle that will soon stand before you. When it is time to make a decision, do what your heart tells you. Fear not what the consequences may be." She said and disappeared from sight within a flash of blue light. Kohaku did not know what Aoiaroshi had been talking about, but she did not question it; she merely nodded and waited to return to the Soul Society._

Kohaku's eyes opened for the second time that morning and she stood up from the ground. She clearly remembered what Aoiaroshi had said, and she dare not question her warning. Kohaku _knew _that she needed to reach Bankai in order to accept the challenge that was sure to show itself to her, what ever it may be. She sighed quietly to herself and slung Aoiaroshi's carrier over her right shoulder and placed the Zanpakuto through the correct slots while still within its sheath. After the weapon was securely fastened, Kohaku exited her house and flash-stepped to the Squad 4 Barracks.

Unlike the previous day, she made it to the building in less than one second, but she was still rather late. She slowly entered the Infirmary and was relieved to see that Captain Unohana was not standing at the door as she would normally do. With a smile to herself, Kohaku walked towards Unohana's office at her own pace. She walked for a short time until Isane appeared in front of her. Kohaku bowed to her superior politely. "Good morning Isane." She greeted.

"Hello Kohaku." She replied, sounding just as polite. "I'm glad I found you so quickly." She said with a slight smile. "The Captain wishes to speak with you. She didn't tell me what about, but she said to find you as quickly as possible."

Kohaku nodded in understanding. "Where is she?"

"She's in the Records Room skimming through a bunch of books." Isane answered. "She told me to hurry at get you, so it's obviously important." Kohaku nodded once again and dashed off to the Records Room at an impressive speed for not having used flash-step. She reached the room within a minute and entered at a casual pace. After she closed the door behind her, she turned around and saw Unohana looking through a thick, black book. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

She raised her head and smiled, closing the book soon after. "That was quicker than expected." She said kindly and laid the black book among others that were placed on the table nearest her. "Do you remember the conversation the two of us had a few weeks ago?"

"About my Grandpa?" Kohaku questioned and saw Unohana nod. "Yes. Does this mean that you found the right information on his possible killer?" She asked sadly.

Unohana once again nodded. "I had hoped to find the necessary sources sooner, but I have been quite busy as you know." She explained and Kohaku nodded anxiously. "After I found some time for myself, I quickly looked through all kinds of books and I was lucky enough to find my records from years and years back. It appears that Kentoki—your grandfather—had five medics assigned to his care. There names were as follows: Ren Ryouta, Ken'ichi Ohari, Ikiru Suboki, Tsukiyomi Atsuki, and Katashi Gogorou. I cannot believe I had forgotten who those medics were; they were some of the best in the squad."

Kohaku's eyes widened as a familiar name was listed. "I-I remember Ikiru; he was the medic that was told to lead me out of the room while the others worked on Grandpa. He was tall and had brown hair and real pretty, blue eyes. He told me that he and the others weren't miracle workers…he was so nice…"

"Yes, I remember how well the five of them worked together." Unohana said. "I was sure that the five of them would be able to completely heal Kentoki. Together their healing skills surpassed mine, and they were also very good in battle."

Kohaku's eyes widened. "'Battle?' Back then, the Squad actually saw battle?"

Unohana smiled kindly. "Yes. During those days, many more battles needed to be fought and the Soul Society did not have as many warriors as they do now, nor did they have such up-to-date technology. Every now and then, the strongest members of the Squad would be called upon to fight weaker battles that the other Squads did not want to deal with."

"So we were still looked down on, then?"

"Yes, I suppose that is a way to say it. We were basically just back-up, but not one of our warriors were ever lost…except five…" Unohana explained, sounding slightly sad. "However, that is not the reason we are here. I called you in to tell you about the medics that were in charge of your grandfather."

"That's true." Kohaku stated with a sweet grin. "Please, Captain, tell me all you can!"

Unohana pat Kohaku's head with a smile of her own. "A few days after Kentoki's tragic death, I ended up sending the five of them to the Human World to provide back-up for Squad 3 as they fought a dangerous enemy. A few days later, the team the Third Squad had sent the Human World returned, but _my _medical team did not return with them." She explained. "I asked Squad 3 what had happened to my team, and I was told that they were killed by the enemy. It was at this time that I discovered the _true _cause of Kentoki's death."

Kohaku nodded and looked down. "I bet they did it…b-but I can't think of a reason why! My Grandpa would never do _anything_ to upset _anybody_. I-I wish I had a motive to go by…" She said and looked up at her captain hopefully. "Please, tell me that you know _why _they would do it! Did anything ever seem odd between Grandpa and them?"

Unohana laid a hand atop Kohaku's head kindly and shook her own. "No…Kentoki never spoke of any sort of strain between him and his medics' relationships. He only spoke well of them…he only spoke well of _everybody_." She said and locked eyes with Kohaku. "I've done all I could for you…there is no motive, and there is no proof it was them. As far as the entire Soul Society knows, his death was the cause of a machine malfunction, and I cannot do anything to change it… I'm truly, very sorry. I wish I could do more for you…you deserve it."

Kohaku nodded solemnly. "I understand." She said. "Thank you for your help, Captain. I appreciate all that you've done for me regarding this matter." After a formal bow to Unohana, Kohaku walked out of the Records Room and made her way home.

~*~*~*~

Kohaku slowly made her way back home as all the information she had just received soaked in. She did not understand the motives of the five medics, and she did not understand why the Soul Society did not conduct an investigation. Something was obviously missing from the story, but _what _was it? "I don't—" She started but was cut off as two women collapsed to the ground in fits of laughter. Kohaku raised an eyebrow and upon closer inspection she concluded the two women were clearly drunk. "Um are you—"

One of the women rolled onto her back and Kohaku was able to get a look at her. She had wavy, red hair that came to the middle of her back and framed her round face. Her eyes were blue, but it was obvious the young woman was quite drunk. Although unwillingly, Kohaku could not help but notice that this woman was _blessed_ in the chest area. "H-Hey? Who is this and—_oh _hey, hey Raquarah look at this!"

The other woman—now known as Raquarah—rolled over and looked at Kohaku with a laugh. The woman has medium-length, dark brown hair that reached her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and she had the same, drunken expression as the other woman. "Haha! She's uh—she's a Squad 4 member! L-Look at her—her weakness and she has such small—"

"She has little boobies!" The redhead exclaimed and she and Raquarah busted out laughing. "No skills and no boobies! Ha…ha…_hey _I think she's angry." Kohaku clenched her fists tightly and glared daggers at the two drunk women. She did not speak, she was afraid that if she did she would not be able to stop herself from killing either of them.

Raquarah pointed at Kohaku with a grin. "Hey, Hana…she's all red and—she's _so mad _at us! Haha!" She mocked and both of the women ended up laughing even harder at Kohaku's anger. "She's like a steamed veggie! Isn't that funny!?"

Hana—the redhead—stood up and wobbly made her way to Kohaku. She took two unbalanced steps and reached her. She got into Kohaku's face and poked her nose with a weird look. "Haha! She's so mad that she ain't movin'! This is hilari—um—hilari…wait…what word am I looking for? Hilari…it means real funny and hilarious…so what's that word?" Hana seemed as though she were completely serious about what word she was looking for, although she had said it.

Raquarah rolled onto her stomach again and laughed. "Your boobies are so big that it makes you not able to think! They prevent blood from reachin' your lil' brain! Haha funny!"

Hana laughed and held her boobs with a nod and fell to her back. "Haha! You're so right Raquarah! My boobs _do_,do that! It's like a—a—a medical discovery!" Hana looked up at Kohaku and laughed at her. "You don't know cuz you don't got none! You're like a _man_! Haha!" She and Raquarah rolled around, holding their sides and laughed harder than before; tears rolled down their cheeks as they laughed.

By this point, Kohaku had had it with the two and she had her right hand on the hilt of Aoiaroshi and was more tempted than ever to attack the women. She tightly held Aoiaroshi's blue and green handle and _almost _unsheathed her, but a sudden burst of spiritual pressure was felt approaching. Kohaku's differently colored eyes went wide and she _almost _fell to her knees, but she ended up leaning against a nearby building wall. "Wha—" Before she finished her sentence, two black-haired women appeared. Kohaku could not prevent the slight gasp that escaped her when she recognized who one of the women were; it was Soifon, Captain of Squad 2. She had short, black hair the led to two 'braids' on either side of her head that were wrapped in a white cloth; an angry glare played across her dark eyes as she looked at Raquarah and Hana who were still laughing hysterically.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Soifon yelled angrily and Hana and Raquarah ceased all laughter. "You were _clearly _instructed to remain _in your cells_! Why are you on the streets drunk!?"

Either the spiritual pressure or simply Soifon's presence must have sobered the two others. "Captain Soifon!" Hana exclaimed fearfully and bowed. "Please forgive my behavior!"

Raquarah mimicked Hana's bowing. "Yes! Please forgive my behavior as well! I know I should've listened to my instinct!"

Soifon's glare did not disappear from her seemingly innocent face; she clenched her fists angrily. "Amaya…take it from here! I don't want to see their hideous faces!"

The other woman—Amaya—bowed. "As you command Captain." Soifon nodded and disappeared from sight. This woman also had short, black hair but it slightly covered her right eye and was covered by a white bandage. The rest of her hair stopped just above her chin in a straight cut. Her showing, left eye, was green and she was _obviously _unhappy with Hana and Raquarah. "My captain and myself _clearly _said for you to remain in the cell! What right do you have to just run out and get _drunk_!?" She questioned in a yell as she took a few steps towards the bowing women.

Both Hana's and Raquarah's eyes went wider at every step Amaya took towards them. "Nothing! No right! None whatsoever!" They both exclaimed at the same time. Kohaku stared in shock at how heartless the Punishment Force could be. She, herself, had never had any reason to be sent to them, and at this point she was _extremely _glad about that little fact.

Amaya grabbed Hana and Raquarah by their shirts and brought their faces closer to hers. She wore a glare while the other two's eyes were wide. "_Explain yourselves! _I need a good report to give my captain!" She yelled angrily. "_Explanations! Now!_"

"Uh…um…you see the thing is—Lieutenant _Omaeda_ let us out and told us to go and have fun!" Hana exclaimed. "He—he said he was tired of our…um… complaining! Y-Yeah…that's it…r-right Raquarah?" Raquarah nodded fearfully. "S-See Ms. Amaya!"

Amaya's facial expression did not change after the two women explained their stories. "Is that so?" She questioned calmly and Raquarah and Hana both nodded slowly; Amaya nodded as well. "Hmm…so if I were to ask him about this situation, he'd give me the same story?" The two women both nodded again, as did Amaya. "Is that your response? I see…so you two aren't only drunks, but you're also _liars_!" She yelled and threw Hana and Raquarah to the ground several feet away from her. "_What's the _true _story!?_"

"_What the hell Amaya!?_" Hana yelled as she got off the ground; Raquarah did not move from her spot, she only sat up. "Raquarah and I have been in the God damned cell for seven fuckin' days and you're just gonna throw us around!?" She growled angrily and reached for her Zanpakuto that was placed around her hips. "I don't think that's fair!"

Amaya growled and turned to Hana. "I don't give a shit if you think it's fair or not! Captain Hitsugaya _clearly _said to keep you in the Punishment Force's cell for an entire week. If you defy what he instructed, you're to stay even _longer. _Do you really want that?"

Hana kept the angry glare on her face and unsheathed her Zanpakuto. "At this point I don't care! I just wanna kick your fuckin' ass Amaya!" She yelled and ran at the member of Squad 2 angrily. Amaya also ran at her with _her _Zanpakuto. Within a second, the two women's weapons met with a loud _clank_, then again and again; they kept attacking one another for a few minutes.

Out of annoyance of the Squad 2 member and out of annoyance with Hana, Kohaku flash-stepped in between the two women with Aoiaroshi unsheathed and in her right hand. Just as the two's weapons were about to make contact, Kohaku stopped Hana's blade with Aoiaroshi, and she readied a Kido spell to shoot at Amaya. The sudden interference stopped the two of them from fighting. "_This shit is pointless!_" Kohaku yelled loudly at all three of the women, although Raquarah was not involved with the fight. "_Hana!_ Just return to the cell and abide by your damned sentence! I dunno what the hell you did, but it _obviously _had a consequence and you gotta fuckin' accept it!"

Hana glared and pressed more weight against her weapon causing Kohaku to do the same. "Mind your own damned business Squad 4 member! You shouldn't get involved with other squad's problems!"

As Amaya attempted to take a step closer to her, Kohaku strengthened the spell she had readied; her hand glowed brighter. Amaya growled in annoyance but was smart enough not to move. "I know this ain't my problem," Kohaku exclaimed, "But this fight is pointless and it's keeping others awake! Don't you see the time!?" She questioned angrily.

"She's right." Amaya stated and put away her weapons. "Now stop trying to fight me, and get back to your cell." She said to Hana. "I'm sure Captain Soifon's going to add onto your sentence, yours too Raquarah."

Hana growled in annoyance and locked eyes with Kohaku who kept the annoyed glare on her face. After a second, Hana placed her Zanpakuto back into its sheath and walked over to Amaya. "Fine."

Kohaku dismissed her spell and placed Aoiaroshi back into her sheath. "Good choice." After another glare at Kohaku, Hana turned away from her and Raquarah joined Amaya. Moments later, the three Soul Reapers disappeared from sight leaving Kohaku alone in the middle of the Soul Society.

She remained still and after a couple of seconds, Kohaku knew that she was no longer alone. On instinct, she grabbed Aoiaroshi's hilt and prepared for a possible battle. "Chill out Kohaku." A man's familiar voice said simply. "No need to attack me…hmph, even if you did what chance would you have?"

Kohaku sighed when she realized that the voice belonged to Renji. She released her hold on Aoiaroshi and turned to face the lieutenant of Squad 6. She smiled and waved happily. "Hiya Renji! You completely recovered?" She asked, kind of shocked that she was speaking to him.

"Yeah I'm good." He answered with a sigh. For a couple of seconds there was no conversation as he looked around the area. "That's weird…I was sent here to stop a fight, but there's nobody but you here. What happened a little bit ago? There was a report that a member of Squad 10 and a member of Squad 2 had started a fight."

Kohaku smiled and nodded. "There was." She said simply and looked Renji in the eyes. "_I _stopped it though. Are you surprised?"

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Seriously, what happened?"

She sighed in annoyance and pouted. "I just told you that I stopped the fight." She said sadly. "It was between Hana from Squad 10 and Amaya from Squad 2. Amaya was commanded to bring Hana and Raquarah back to the Squad 2 cells/barracks, and Hana refused; she ended up drawing her sword against Amaya. They fought for a bit, and then I got annoyed and jumped between them to stop it, which I succeeded in doing, just so ya know Lieutenant Abarai!"

Renji still seemed skeptical. "You're telling me that a member of Squad 4 took on members from Squads 2 and 10? That doesn't seem too believable Kohaku."

Kohaku's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. "Wh-Why not!?" She questioned. "Even though I'm mostly trained in healing, I've _also _gone through combat training! All Soul Reapers have to y'know!"

"Yeah but I—"

"Whatever Lieutenant!" She exclaimed cutting him off. "I betcha I could fight you and pose a challenge!"

Renji smirked and shook his head. "Are you serious?" He questioned and shook his head again. "You've gotta be joking."

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What make ya so sure? You said that Aoiaroshi was a good weapon that was 'just dying to be used.' So why don't I use her on _you_!?" Renji did not respond he just smirked and shook his head again. "You're a real jerk you know that Renji!? If you don't think I'm strong enough, why not train me?"

Renji stopped laughing and turned back to her. "Actually…I've been thinking…" He started but trailed off slightly.

"Thinking about what?"

Renji sighed. "You wanna get stronger, right?" He questioned and Kohaku nodded. "When we discussed Aoiaroshi while I was your patient, a thought came into mind. I thought about—if you didn't mind—training you myself. I know a lieutenant isn't as strong as they come, but it's stronger than you are right now." He said and scratched the back of his head. "So do you like that idea?"

Kohaku pretended to contemplate the thought in her head, even though she _knew _what her answer was going to be. "I dunno Renji…aren't you real busy and stuff?"

"Sorta, but I have _some _free time on my hands. It's enough to train you, if you decide that you want to."

"Hmm…_ok!_" She exclaimed happily. "I like the idea! When are we gonna start?" She asked with a happy grin.

Renji shrugged. "I dunno. How's tomorrow, does that work?" He questioned, seeming slightly anxious about something.

Kohaku smiled and nodded firmly. "Sounds good." She answered and received a nod from Renji as well. After a few more minutes of minor conversation, Renji rushed back to his Squad leaving Kohaku alone once again. She smiled slightly and headed home. As she walked, she could feel that the training Renji had offered would make her stronger. Although she did not know what she would use the training for, she knew that it would become important.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **And that's the end of Chapter Four! Yippee! I luv reviews just so ya know ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

**Ambie's Note: **…And here's Chapter Five! Another important chapter; we meet the story's main antagonists, so yeah. Have fun reading!

**Disclaimer: **Bleach does not belong to me and it never will. However all the characters that aren't from the original Anime/Manga are mine; except for a select few that my friend's came up with. They'll be mentioned at the start of the chapter!

~*~*~*~

Katashi Gogorou; he had once been the 3rd Seat of Squad 4, under the guidance of Captain Unohana. He was once the most reliable medic on the squad and he had shared a close bond with the captain and lieutenant. All that he had 'worked' for had changed the day he was assigned to care for Kentoki Hariyomi. The old man had once been his instructor during his academy days. Kentoki was smart, strong and gifted, he always did things right and never screwed up; Katashi _hated _him. He hated him with a burning passion, and he only wanted him dead.

Kentoki had been a Soul Reaper for many years and never—not in any battle—had he been more than scratched by the enemy. That changed one day when he was sent to fight with a Menos Grande hollow. The Menos had been too strong to even _slightly _be affected by Kentoki's Bankai; the old man was attacked and left for dead and Katashi had never been happier. His happiness was short-lived when he was instructed by Captain Unohana to become Kentoki's medic along with four others; Tsukiyomi Atsuki, Ikiru Suboki, Ken'ichi Ohari, and Ren Ryouta. Working together, against Katashi's will, they were able to pretty much bring the old man back from the dead which _really _pissed Katashi off; he never spoke his feelings though, he just kept them bottled up and to himself.

Once Kentoki stabilized once again, Katashi's anger grew more and more, but still he never spoke of it. He cared for the old man for a few reasons; for one he did it for his Captain and lieutenant, and for two he did it for the old man's beautiful granddaughter who was still in the academy. He never learned her name, but his infatuation with her made him _even more_ jealous of Kentoki. Why did the old man get to spend so much time with her and Katashi could not even _approach _her? Yes they were family, but it still _really _pissed him off that he could never talk to her.

Eventually Katashi's jealousy got the best of him and he created a poison that had never been seen before. Its purpose was to end one's life instantly and without pain which meant there was no screaming, and no chance to suspect another. One day he decided that he _would _have Kentoki's granddaughter for himself and nobody, not even her grandfather, would get in Katashi's way. The day it happened, Katashi got enough courage to ask Kentoki's granddaughter to leave the room so her grandfather could take his medicine. The girl nodded happily and skipped out of Room 111 without a worry. While she was outside of the room, Katashi put a few drops of the poison into Kentoki's water and had him drink it. The poison worked better than he had imagined and Kentoki died moments later, without a sound and without breaking the glass.

At the sound of the flat-line, his granddaughter rushed back in the room and her beautiful eyes filled with tears as she tried to awaken Kentoki. Moments later, the other four medics rushed into Room 111 and immediately tried to revive Kentoki under Katashi's supervision. It eventually got to the point of them asking Kentoki's granddaughter to leave the room with Ikiru. The medics that remained in the room constantly worked on reviving him. After a few minutes, Katashi stated that Kentoki had died and told Tsukiyomi to tell his granddaughter the news. Katashi called for Captain Unohana and they all worked on getting Kentoki out of the room.

Days passed and nobody ever suspected Katashi of murdering Kentoki, everything was said to be caused by a 'Machine Malfunction' which was fine with him. Although the death shook the entire Soul Society, everything proceeded as normal until the day Katashi and the same four medics were sent to back up Squad 3 in the World of the Living. The back-up ended up being utterly pointless, but there was no way that Katashi wanted to return to the Soul Society. He and the others faked their own deaths and remained in the World of the Living. The four medics swore to be loyal to Katashi even after he told them of what he did to Kentoki; none of them cared.

The fifth year he and the others had been in the World of the Living, they ended up meeting a stray Soul Reaper by the name of Aiko Alnina. When they found her, she was nearly dead in the middle of a forest; her Gigai was not strong enough for her. Aiko looked like a young child when they found her, and she had no memory of anything before meeting the five Soul Reapers. Everyone questioned her about her Zanpakuto and her past, but she told them that she knew nothing. The response shocked everybody since Aiko was able to use her Zanpakuto, Hikarihime, with astounding skill. The weapon more or less was a healing device rather than an _actual _weapon. Its Shikai was unable of cutting; Hikarihime was only able to heal. When Katashi learned this, he asked the little girl to join them and she _happily _agreed to the idea.

All of that happened years and years back. Katashi became a doctor since being in the World of the Living, but he fought as a Soul Reaper whenever Hollows attacked the town he lived in. It had been fifteen years since the day he killed Kentoki and saw his granddaughter, but he would still think about the girl. Her long, brown hair and her beautiful green and blue eyes; he knew it was strange to be in love with somebody he never actually _knew, _but it was a fact and as far as he knew it would never change. "Big whoop…I _highly _doubt she even learned my name." He said to himself while sitting in his bedroom. "Too bad though…I had many plans for her." There were three knocks on Katashi's door and he sighed. "Come in guys." He answered and his five subordinates walked into the room and bowed at him.

"Good morning Lord Katashi." Tsukiyomi and Ikiru said at the same time. "Did you sleep well last night?" They both asked. They lifted their heads and glared at one another.

"Why do you _always _mimic me Ikiru?" Tsukiyomi questioned angrily. She had blonde hair that was always pulled into a messy bun with bangs hanging over her face. Her eyes were a stunning blue and over them were a pair of black-lined glasses. In her Gigai, Tsukiyomi wore a tight red shirt that very much complimented her chest, and with it she wore a short, black skirt that barely reached the middle of her thigh. On her feet she wore a pair of white, knee-high socks with a pair of high-heeled shoes; she was a very attractive woman, but she was not Katashi's type. "I've told you that _I'll _greet Lord Katashi! I've repeated it _so many _times!"

Ikiru crossed his arms and turned away from Tsukiyomi's burning glare. "Like I care about what you say." He commented angrily. Ikiru was a relatively thin man with brown, shaggy hair that reached the bottom of his ears. His eyes were a light green and he always wore tighter shirts and pants. "I guarantee that he doesn't give a shit about who said what. Isn't that right my lord?"

Katashi smirked and got out of his chair and approached everybody. "Yup." He stated simply. "So what do you people need? A Hollow or what?"

Aiko hopped onto Ren's shoulder with a happy smile. "Yup-yup! It's a real big guy too!" She exclaimed. Aiko's hair was short and black and she always wore ah light green headband in it. Her eyes were sky blue and she had light freckles sprinkled across her face. She always wore a sundress that reached right above her knees, and with the dress she wore knee-high socks with dress-shoes that always matched the outfit. "You know…this one's real different n' stuff!"

Katashi smiled at Aiko and pat her head gently; he had a soft spot for children. "I see…we'll attack it tonight. I dunno…I just like fighting at night so much better."

Ken'ichi silently nodded. He was a _big _guy who would always wear a plain t-shirt and blue jeans. His eyes were a yellow color and his hair was spiky and gray, almost white; he wore a white bandage over his nose for unknown reasons. He was the group's second best fighter, but he hardly ever spoke a word to anybody but Aiko. Next to Ken'ichi stood Ren with a smiling Aiko on his shoulder. Ren's hair was blonde and wavy, it reached his shoulders and was very well maintained; his eyes were dark blue. He'd always be seen wearing a suit of some kind with a tie; he was pretty fancy.

Aiko giggled and hopped off Ren's shoulder and landed on Ken'ichi's; she turned to Katashi with a smile. "Am I gonna get to come this time? I really, really, _really_, want to! Pleeease?"

Katashi shook his head. "Sorry Aiko, but I still can't let you come. Remember, Hikarihime only has healing abilities and isn't meant for battle."

Aiko's blue eyes got big and they teared up. "You're such a meanie Lord Katashi…why are you so mean!?"

Katashi smirked. "I just am I guess." He said and Aiko smiled once again. With a nod to the others, Katashi headed to his bedroom to prepare for the night's upcoming battle.

~*~*~*~

Kohaku back-flipped out of the way to avoid a pile of _huge _falling rocks. She growled and saw that Renji was approaching her at wicked speeds, with another growl, she flash-stepped out of his reach and appeared behind him. She raised her right hand to strike the lieutenant, but he saw it coming and managed to deflect the hit. "You're gonna haveta do better than that Kohaku!" He exclaimed and sliced the top of her left arm with Zabimaru. "_Come on! _I _know _you're better than this!"

Kohaku used a healing spell to close the wound and glared at Renji. "Shut up! I'm just getting started here, you _know _that!" She yelled and raised Aoiaroshi into the air. "Holler, Aoiaroshi!" She yelled and she felt the Shikai activate, but Renji was oblivious to what was about to come.

Renji looked at her, unimpressed with the Shikai of Aoiaroshi. "…and that did what?" He questioned and Kohaku smirked. "Are you saying—" he was cut off when Kohaku managed to get a clean slice at his chest. His eyes widened and he backed away in shock of the sudden attack.

"Am I saying what?" She questioned as she once again appeared behind Renji. He turned to her and she stopped all movements. "Don't tell me _that _shocked you! That was only the beginning of Aoiaroshi's abilities…it just takes a little bit of time to warm up." She said and smirked at Renji's shock. She held Aoiaroshi in the air and closed her eyes for a split second. Once that second passed the _entire _training field was filled with frigid water. She giggled, "see?"

Lucky for Renji he was able to find higher ground in time, and was not touched by the water. "Nice swimming pool." He stated with a smirk. "I don't think that's gonna cut it in a real battle though. I don't—"

Kohaku glared and used her Shikai to control the water; she led the freezing liquid into Renji's direction and splashed him. "Sorry Renji, but this may hurt a bit." She stated and grinned. After a second, Renji was frozen where he stood, his head not within the ice. Instead of hopping towards him, she used her ability to bring him to her; she had frozen a spot atop the water she had created and stood on in with a cocky grin on her face. "Don't tell me you're not impressed." She said and unfroze Renji. The sudden unfreezing shocked him and he fell forward and rested his weight against Kohaku who held her ground with a light laugh. "Nice, right?"

Renji got off of her and crossed his arms in an attempt to warm up. "Damn…I didn't expect something like that from _you_." He said and smiled. "I _am_ pretty impressed, I've gotta be honest."

Kohaku giggled and nodded triumphantly. "I know!" She exclaimed and deactivated her Shikai ability; she placed Aoiaroshi into her sheath and sighed. "It's not a bad trick…but it takes so long to activate. I'm hoping that this training will make it my Shikai activate quicker; I'm wide open for a good two minutes." She explained and plopped to the, now dry, ground; Renji joined her.

Renji sighed and collapsed to his back and stared up. "You're speed increased majorly when you went into Shikai mode, and that gave you the upper-hand because it was so surprising. Then, while you were going all over the place, the water appeared outta nowhere which was _also_ surprising."

Kohaku shrugged and held her knees close to her. "You were still able to get away from the attack." She said with a sigh. "Sure I got you eventually, but it's _much more _effective when the enemy is _in_ the water." She explained and looked at the ground beneath her sadly.

Renji sat up and looked over at Kohaku. "Quit moping." He said and pat her head; messing up her brown hair. "This was only the first day of training, there's a lot of time to go. I'm gonna make you reach Bankai even if I have to skip out on my duties as lieutenant."

Kohaku fixed her hair and gave Renji a confused look. "'B-Bankai?'" She questioned nervously. "Renji, that takes years to master! How do you expect _me_, a member of _Squad 4_, to master that!? I—"

He turned to her with a determined look. "I never said _master_ it. I just wanna get you to reach the right level to achieve it." He said with a grin. "That'll be our goal. Once you get there I won't be the one training you, ok?"

She stared up at him with a shocked expression, but his did not change; she nodded with a determined smile. "Got it." She said and received a nod from Renji as well. "Well…just sitting here isn't getting us any closer to our goal. We just started and we're already taking a break." She added with another determined smile.

Renji smirked. "Good point." He said and unsheathed Zabimaru. "Let's keep going Kohaku."

Kohaku nodded and mimicked Renji's movements by unsheathing Aoiaroshi. "Alrighty then Lieutenant." She said and the two Soul Reapers rushed for one another, neither of them hitting the other.

At unimaginable speeds, Renji's and Kohaku's weapons made contact with loud _clanks_. This pattern kept up for the longest time until both of them began to breathe heavily. Renji's red hair had fallen out of its neat ponytail and rested at his shoulders; he was sweaty and rested much of his weight against Zabimaru.

Kohaku's condition was almost identical to Renji's. Her brown hair was no longer pulled back and much of it covered her sweaty face. Her left pigtail had completely fallen out and the right one was loose. Like Renji, she also rested much of her weight against her Zanpakuto. Breathing heavily she pulled out her right pigtail. "Damn Renji, look at how pathetic we both look right now." She said.

Renji wiped away sweat that rolled down his face and smirked. "I wouldn't say 'pathetic.' I think 'dirty' is a better word to use…" He said and smirked once again. "I've got shit all over me and I—"

Kohaku's giggle cut him off as her Shikai once again activated and water filled the area. She splashed Renji then got herself as well, washing away the dirt that was sticking to them. "_Holy shit that's cold!_" She yelled.

"Yeah kinda!" Renji replied and hopped out of the water. "Get it outta here!"

She laughed again and copied him. "Ok fine, fine." Kohaku said and deactivated her Shikai. "Geez…you're such a killjoy." She said after all the water disappeared from the area. "Yeah it was cold, but _I'm _not hot anymore and I feel a littlecleaner actually!"

"If you say so." He stated with a shrug and hopped back to the ground. "Ok…again! This time Shikai is allowed, got it?"

Kohaku realized that she only had about one other Shikai activation left within her, and after she used it, she would not be able to continue fighting. "I don't like that idea." She said simply and grabbed Aoiaroshi.

"What!? Why!?" Renji questioned.

Kohaku sighed and turned to face him. "I'll only be able to activate it one more time today, if I exceed three times I'll—"

"You'll what?" He questioned sounding unhappy. "We're doing this because you wanna get stronger, right?" Kohaku nodded slowly in understanding. "To get stronger, you're gonna haveta exceed your limits; it's part of the whole training process!"

"I—" She started but stopped herself after realizing how pathetic she would have sounded. "You're right! Limits are meant to be met then exceeded! That's the entire point of having them…right?"

"Yeah, but don't push yourself _too _hard in the beginning cuz that's just stupid." Renji explained calmly. "You need to reach your limit first, then you to gradually make your way passed it. You need to know this Kohaku."

She nodded and rested Aoiaroshi's blade lightly atop Renji's shoulder. "I understand." She said honestly and smiled. "Now let's go!" She exclaimed and Renji grabbed Zabimaru. Once again the two of them began to train, both unable to connect with the other.

Kohaku growled and deflected another one of Renji's attacks and attempted to lay a hit on him, but he managed to block hers just as easily as all the other times. The two of them had been fighting for over an hour, neither of them resting or even hitting the other. At the same time, neither of them had gone into Shikai mode which meant that the worst of the battle was still to come. Kohaku flash-stepped away and appeared on Renji's left side taking advantage of learning he was right-handed. He noticed her and tried to attack, but she ducked and raised Aoiaroshi. Just as she was about to make contact with Renji's arm, _he _flash-stepped away. "Damn…" She whispered and frantically looked for him.

After a second, Kohaku did not spot him and that fact was making her uncomfortable; she _knew _she could not lose Renji's location. Another few seconds ticked by and Renji was still nowhere in sight. "_Roar, Zabimaru!_" His voice yelled, confirming that he had activated his Shikai. Kohaku turned in the direction of his voice and saw Zabimaru rushing in her direction. She dodged it with a well timed flash-step.

"Shit…not good!" She whispered to herself as she had to dodge Zabimaru several more times. She was relieved that her movements were so well timed, because she _knew_ that it would suck to be attacked by Renji's Zabimaru.

"You can't keep this up forever Kohaku!" Renji yelled as he controlled where Zabimaru went. "You _know_ you can't!"

_"He's right."_ She thought to herself while continuing to avoid all of the attacks. _"I-I keep running. I need to fight him…I need to not worry about what may happen to him…I…I need to exceed my limit, now's the best time."_ Kohaku flash-stepped behind a large rock formation. She quickly raised Aoiaroshi into the air. "Holler Aoiaroshi!" She commanded and she felt as though her weight was cut in half. She grinned and rushed for Renji as quickly as she could; she reached him in less than half a second. Right when he was within sword's reach, she sliced at his right arm causing blood to roll down it; she had planned to get him to drop his Zanpakuto.

That plan did not work, though, instead Renji managed to cut Kohaku's arm as badly as she had cut his. "Finally." He stated with a smirk. "About time you went—"

She glared as the water began to fill the area. "_Zip it Lieutenant!_" She yelled and controlled the water to attack him. He dodged and smirked again, but before he was able to speak, Kohaku froze the water as she was making it fall over him; transforming the medium-sized water-drops into razor-sharp pieces of ice. She smirked when she realized that she now had Renji on the defensive. He would get within reach and attempt to strike, but Kohaku would rush out of the way and attack him with the ice shards; taking complete advantage of her Shikai abilities.

Once again, Renji got within Kohaku's reach and readied an attack from Zabimaru. Right as his Zanpakuto neared her, she attempted to rush out of the way, but a sudden pain traveled through her entire body and she was unable to defend against Zabimaru's attack. The weapon hit her right arm and the wound traveled from the shoulder to just pass the elbow; a large amount of blood seeped from the wound and she began to fall just as her Shikai disappeared. Instead of hitting the ground, she felt herself being caught.

After a few seconds, she was gently laid against a rock. "Kohaku! Hey, are you ok!?" Renji's worried voice asked. "Open your eyes come on…"

Kohaku slowly opened her eyes and smiled slightly as Renji came into view. "Chillax…" She said simply and painfully turned her head to her arm. "Ew…that's nasty lookin', huh?" She questioned and looked back at Renji who still wore the same worried expression. She shook her head and activated a Kido healing spell. "Why do you look so worried?"

Renji looked away. "It's just—I didn't push you too hard did I?"

Kohaku smiled as her wound became _slightly_ less hideous. "No, you did what we _both_ agreed on. You pushed me just a little passed my limit; it's a _good_ thing." She explained and slowly pulled herself up. She grabbed Renji's arm and healed it like she had her own. "I actually hit you while you were in Shikai, aren't ya proud of me?" She questioned with a smile.

Renji returned the smile and shrugged. "I guess…but today was only day one." He said and looked down. "What happened just before I hit you? You just stopped moving."

She looked down as well. "My body was just enveloped with an unexplainable pain and it _forced _me to stop moving. I was getting ready to evade your attack, but…I ran out of power." She explained as best as she could. "When I activated my Shikai, I felt a little strange for a second, but I just shook it off. Now that I'm down here…I can tell that I used my Shikai to its limit; my body couldn't take anymore."

"Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine." She answered with a carefree smile. "I just need to get home and get a good night's sleep. That's all!" She explained and saw that Renji's expression had not changed. Kohaku raised and eyebrow and hit him upside the head. "Quit the damn worrying! I didn't fall because of _you_ Lieutenant! I fell because I overused my Shikai. Weren't you listening to anything I said!?"

"Yeah but—"

Kohaku cut him off with a sigh. "Quit worrying about me; it's gonna make me feel weaker than I am." She said and stood up slowly, using the rock behind her to pull herself up. "I really don't like it when people—" She stopped in mid-sentence when she felt the pain once again. Because it was so sudden, she fell forward and was once again caught by Renji. "Damn it…" She whispered, but did not move.

Renji sighed with Kohaku still resting on him. "Since this happened, you _know_ I'm not done worrying about you." He said and gently pushed her back, resting his hands on her shoulders so she could keep balance; she grabbed his forearms and looked down silently. "Has this ever happened before?" He asked and she shook her head. "Listen, if this training ever becomes too much for you…you can just tell me y'know. I'm not gonna think you're weak, and I won't even worry about you if you don't want me to, ok?"

It was silent between the two of them for a few moments. The silence was shattered when Kohaku began to cry quietly. "I—" she did not finish her thought before she looked up at Renji with tear-stained eyes. "Renji…I'm—you don't think I'm weak do you? I just—I want to be able to be involved with the fights the Soul Society has to face. I want someone to depend on me for more than just healing their wounds…" She said and sobbed louder.

_"There it is again," _Renji thought to himself, _"there's that unexplainable feeling. Why the hell does it have to happen at a time like this? She may not like it, but I feel the need to protect her when she gets like this…" _He looked down at her and dropped his aggravating thoughts. He smiled at her when their eyes met. "Stop crying already." He said and Kohaku smiled sadly and wiped at her mix-matched eyes. "Kohaku…I _definitely_ don't think you're weak, you got that?"

"Renji I'm—"

"You're not weak, and I know it." He said, disregarding her quite interruption. "The only problem I see with you is that ya lack self-confidence. You let your squad number block you path to improvement." He explained looking her dead in the eye. "Just cuz you're a healer, doesn't mean you lack the ability to fight. In reality, the healers are the ones who are best to have for fighting; you can cure minor injuries after a few seconds enabling yourself to fight even if wounded. I just don't see why you don't see that." He said and Kohaku opened her mouth to protest, but Renji held up a hand silencing her. "I don't give a shit how other squads treat you. Just ignore them and focus on _yourself_."

Kohaku giggled lightly. "Heh-heh, nice pep talk Renji!" She said with a smile. "You're right though. The only reason our squad barely fights is because the Soul Society needs us to all be here in case of an emergency, but still…we _are_ treated differently than others." She giggled again and a determined look played across her face. "I _will_ prove myself and I _will_ get stronger! But, in order to get stronger, I need to know when enough is enough. Like today; I'm done and I'm going home to eat and go to bed!" She smiled at Renji with a dirty face; her hair down and resting upon her shoulders. "Are you free tomorrow?"

Renji smirked and nodded. "Yeah, as far as I know." He answered. "I'll pick you up early, so get to bed as soon as possible, ok Kohaku?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Shouldn't _I _be telling _you_ that?" She questioned rhetorically as she placed Aoiaroshi back into her sheath. She turned back to Renji with a grin. "You know where I live. So come and wake me up when you need me." She said and saw Renji nod; she returned it and rushed back to her place. As she entered her house, she looked at herself in the mirror; she was a member of Squad 4, but she—at that moment—could have been confused with a member of Squad 11. She smiled and got ready for bed; right when her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light, going to bed in the best mood she had been in for the longest time.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **...And that's the end of Chapter Five! Yip-yip! Hehe, I'd love to get a review of some kind!


	6. Chapter 6

**Ambie's Note****: **Alright…this is Chapter Six. Wow…it seems like it's been a while…oh well! It's here now so YAY!

**Disclaimer****:** Bleach does not belong to me, but Kohaku does…along with everybody in Katashi's group. Amaterasu is my friend's character.

~*~*~*~

Katashi's blade went through the giant Hollow's head and the hideous creature disappeared in a black and red light. Katashi smiled and nodded, placing his Zanpakuto back into its sheath. "That was pretty boring." He stated and saw Aiko peek her head out from behind a nearby tree. "Aiko…didn't you say that it was a big one?"

She giggled and shrugged, approaching the rest of the group. "I dunno…I think so!" She said with a smile. "You know…I might've just been kidding. That or I might've been wrong, you're not gonna ever know which one either!"

Tsukiyomi released an obvious sigh of annoyance. "It's been far too long since I've seen a good battle. Shioriharu and I are just dying for a fight to be _somewhat _of a challenge." She said and placed her Zanpakuto into its sheath with another annoyed sigh.

"Lord Katashi, that battle was simply marvelous!" Ikiru complemented with a nod. "That Hollow didn't stand a chance against _you_!"

Aiko giggled at Ikiru. "Just stop Iki," she said and he turned his attention to her, "Lord Katashi doesn't swing that way. I _know_ how you actually feel about him, I'm surprised nobody else has caught on yet…" She said and everybody else—aside from Ikiru himself—seemed to be ignoring her; she sighed heavily. "I guess _that_ would explain why…" She sighed again and motioned for Ikiru to get closer to her height. "Just between you and me, I think Ren likes you a lot; he's always looking at you funny!" She whispered.

Ikiru's eyes went wide and he turned his head to Ren. After getting a look at the blonde man he shook his head. "Too bad for him, he's not my type; _definitely_ not!"

Aiko nodded happily. "I knew that!" She exclaimed. "What about Ken'ichi though? He's pretty cute, right?"

Ikiru looked at Ken'ichi who had his back turned to the rest of the group silently looking at the night sky. Ikiru shrugged. "He's not bad, but he's a little too quite for my tastes…he always seems so—so outta it. You know what I mean Aiko?"

"Nope!" The little girl exclaimed immediately after Ikiru had spoken. "I love Ken'ichi, cuz he always lets me ride on his back! He never complains about my weight cuz he's so big!" She cheered and rushed over to Ken'ichi and hopped onto his back.

"Lord Katashi, shouldn't we return to our Gigai now? We have been in Soul Reaper form passed our time limit." Tsukiyomi said. "I fear that if we remain like this, we will be discovered by the Soul Society."

Katashi shrugged. "Probably, but I was actually thinking about taking a quick trip there." He said and everybody's eyes widened. "It's been fifteen years, right? I wonder if they'd recognize me."

"My Lord! What if they _do_ recognize you and they take you into custody?" Ren questioned.

Katashi smirked and shrugged once again. "First of all lemme just say; I highly doubt that'd happen, and secondly I'd easily be able to escape from there. I spent years studying how things operated, and it'd be so simple."

"Very well My Lord, shall I accompany you?" Tsukiyomi asked with a formal bow to Katashi.

Ikiru mimicked her movements. "Allow me too Lord Katashi."

Katashi turned to the two 'most loyal' of his group and sighed in annoyance. "No. I wanna go on my own, there's somebody I wanna find." He said referring to Kentoki's granddaughter. "If I require your assistance I'll be sure to reach y'all."

Tsukiyomi and Ikiru spoke at the same time, "My Lord but I—"

"_Hey!_ Lord Katashi said no already!" Aiko exclaimed and crossed her arms. "He _obviously _doesn't want you guys around to bother him! He said if he needs us he'll call us or something!" She scolded and smacked the two adults. "So shush up and let him go!"

Tsukiyomi and Ikiru appeared shocked by Aiko's sudden actions, but Katashi just smirked and nodded. "Tell 'em Aiko." He said and rolled his green eyes. "Aight, you guys get back to your Gigai and I'll head for the Soul Society. This shouldn't take longer than a few days, so if I'm not back by then, come and get me, ok?"

All five of Katashi's subordinates bowed at his commands. "Yes My Lord." The said and the same time and all disappeared from sight. Katashi smiled to himself and disappeared as well without even the slightest bit worry filling his calm mind.

***

Kohaku sat up in bed as an uneasy feeling traveled through her tired body. She looked around her room, but nothing seemed out of place, and she did not feel like she was being watched. She uncovered her body and walked to her window slowly and looked out, but still everything _seemed_ normal to her. "If nothing's wrong, then why am I so uneasy?" She asked herself and quickly got dressed. She exited her house at a fast pace, while still placing Aoiaroshi in the correct spot on her back.

Not knowing where she was going, Kohaku ran aimlessly through the Soul Society. _"Why do I feel like this? It doesn't make any since…" _She thought to herself. _"I feel so uncomfortable, yet I'm going in the direction I think it's coming from…"_ She shook her head and wiped away her distracting thoughts and continued to run. Just as she was about to exit the living quarters of the Soul Society, she stopped and turned around; she saw Amaterasu standing there.

"What are you doing Kohaku?" She asked worriedly.

"I could ask you the same."

"Well, I wasn't given specific details, but apparently a rogue Soul Reaper's Spiritual Pressure was detected." Amaterasu explained. "I was told to wait here in case they were to be spotted."

Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "I didn't sense anything I just—" She cut herself off when realization hit her. "_That _would explain it then!" She exclaimed. "Is this person powerful enough to create an uneasy feeling for Soul Reapers of my rank?"

"They're powerful enough to make the Captains uneasy." She explained. "It was actually Captain Unohana that called for Soul Reapers to be placed in charge of specific areas."

Kohaku gasped lightly. "Captain Unohana? Well, did you ask about it?"

Amaterasu shook her head. "No, I just did as I was told. I'm actually not supposed to be talking about it, but I had to tell you." She said and sighed. "In fact I'm to tell other Soul Reapers to return home…this is a mission especially for Squad 11. So I'm going to have to ask you to go home, Kohaku…"

Kohaku shook her head. "What makes you think I'll leave just because you're asking?" She questioned. "I'm here because _I _felt like I needed to be. If that uneasy feeling was because of this person's Spiritual Pressure, I don't think you're gonna be able to face him alone."

Amaterasu growled in annoyance. "If you don't get outta here, I'm gonna have to make you leave by force, and I _really _don't wanna have to do that. So just go home please."

"Sorry, but I'm not leaving." Kohaku said. "I'll take the blame if you get into any sorta trouble, so don't worry about it."

"Kohaku I really don't—"

Amaterasu was cut off by the appearance of an unfamiliar man. "Hmm…so your name's Kohaku then." He said with a strange grin. The man was about six feet tall and had black hair that was styled to cover his right, green eye. He was well built and fairly attractive, but his presence _definitely _made Kohaku and Amaterasu uncomfortable. "Can you believe that it's taken me fifteen whole years to learn that?" He questioned his voice smooth and cocky. After a couple of seconds of silence, his eyes had not looked away from Kohaku. "I'm gonna take this silence as a sign you don't remember me, eh Kohaku?"

The man's presence was enough to get Kohaku on the defensive. She grabbed the hilt of Aoiaroshi, but did not unsheathe her. "I don't have a clue who you are!" She yelled and Amaterasu also grabbed the hilt of _her _Zanpakuto.

The man's facial expression remained the same; calm, cool and collected. "Listen ladies, you don't haveta get so defensive around me." He said. "Just so you know, my name is Katashi Gogorou; I used to be a part of Squad 4."

At the sound of the man's name, Kohaku's mix-matched eyes went wide and she tightened her grip on Aoiaroshi's hilt. "Did you say your name was Katashi Gogorou!?" She yelled angrily.

Katashi raised his showing eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure I made that much clear." He said simply. "Why do you sound so mad?"

Kohaku glared and unsheathed Aoiaroshi. "Quit playing games! I _know_ who you are and what you did to my Grandpa!" She yelled and ran at him, her weapon ready to strike. She reached him in under a half-second, but she did not hit him.

"Why so hasty Kohaku?" He questioned, his weapon blocking hers. "You know nothing for a fact." He stated and Kohaku pulled away from him, her weapon still ready in case she needed to act.

She growled angrily. "_Why!?_" She yelled loudly. "What'd he ever do to you!?"

Katashi smirked, completely relaxed with his weapon still in hand. "Personally?" He questioned, but Kohaku did not respond. "Oh, he did nothing to me personally. His existence just annoyed me, that's all." He said and disappeared for a split second. He appeared behind Kohaku with his arms around her tightly, tight enough for her to drop her Zanpakuto. "Another thing…I really wanted to be closer to you. I didn't think it was fair that he was able to talk to you so easily while I was too paranoid to even approach you back then. Even if he was family…I only wanted you for myself." He whispered in her ear softly. "I'm relatively stingy you know?"

Kohaku's eyes went wide and she struggled to get out of Katashi's hold. "LET GO OF ME!" She commanded in a yell.

Amaterasu growled and rushed towards them. "LET HER GO!" She yelled, but Katashi turned his head to her and simply used a Kido spell to push her away.

"Stay outta this, it doesn't involve you." He said when Amaterasu hit her head on a nearby tree then fEll to the ground. Kohaku was momentarily shocked, but she relaxed and took advantage of Katashi's comment. She raised her right foot and stomped on his toe, but he still did not release her. "So you're feisty then? I suppose I shoulda been expecting you to pull that one."

"Damn it! What the _hell _do you want me for!?" She questioned angrily while still trying to get out of his strong grasp.

Katashi smiled creepily. "You're a beautiful and strong woman, what man wouldn't want you?" He asked in a whisper and gently caressed Kohaku's face. "Kohaku, I need you for myself…" He said quietly.

Although the guy was a freak, she could not help but to blush slightly; she quickly shook it away. "What the hell do you know about me?" She questioned, no longer trying to escape from his hold; she knew it would be pointless. "This is the first conversation we've had."

Katashi pulled her body closer to his. "I know…but I've dreamed of it so many other times. I can't tell you how many times I've wished for this moment." He whispered. "Ever since I saw you as an Academy Student I've had these strong feelings for you that I can't explain."

Kohaku clenched her fists angrily but did not speak. _"I'm pretty sure I understand them…and I'm pretty sure something's not right with them." _She thought to herself.

Katashi turned Kohaku around to face him and once again held her in his arms. "Come with me to the World of the Living I—"

Kohaku glared up at him. "No! Why the _hell_ would I even _want _to go with you!? Especially since you're talking to me like this!" She yelled angrily. "You _killed_ my Grandfather and for that I'm never gonna forgive you! Now LET GO OF ME!"

Katashi nodded and released his hold on her. "I understand how you feel." He said simply. "But you don't know what I—"

Kohaku picked up Aoiaroshi and turned back to Katashi. "You're right, I don't know and I don't _care_! You're a murderer and that's that; nothing more!" She yelled and held up her Zanpakuto. "Holler Aoiaroshi!" She commanded and felt her weight being halved by the activation of her Shikai. She disappeared from Katashi's sight and ended up slicing across his chest; blood splattered from the wound and landed on the ground beneath them, but the wound closed up right after the hit.

Katashi smirked as Kohaku stopped attacking. "Why stop?" He questioned and flash-stepped towards her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the trunk of a nearby tree, her feet a few feet from the ground beneath her. The sudden movement caused her to lose her grip on her weapon again. "A continuous attack is the best way to defeat me." He whispered and got inches away from her face. "You're shocked." He stated. "Is it because I have you pinned to a tree even after you activated your Shikai, or is it because the wounds you created have closed up?"

As the water from Aoiaroshi's attack began to fill the area, Kohaku calmed down a little. "I have to say; a bit of both shocked me." She said simply. "But now that I've completed the attack, I'm a little calmer." She stated and saw Katashi look down at the ground, but before he was able to move, Kohaku used her ability to freeze the water around his ankles; he stilled but did not release the hold on her wrists. She glared and kicked him directly in the face, causing his nose to bleed. "I'll tell you again; LET GO OF ME!"

Katashi smirked. "Is that how its gonna be? You're not even gonna—"

"LET GO OF ME!" She yelled loudly and kicked him in the face again. "I'm tired of hearing your voice and I'm tired of seeing your face! RELEASE ME!"

Katashi shook his head and got closer to Kohaku. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that, nor do I _want _to." He said and cleared the tiny distance between the two of them. He reached her lips and kissed her roughly as she continued to struggle. He managed to keep her pinned with only one hand and used the other in an attempt to rid her of her clothing, but he stopped when footsteps were heard approaching the area.

_"Thank God!"_ Kohaku thought to herself as she desperately tried to escape from Katashi. _"Everything'll be fine and—"_

Her thoughts were cut off when Katashi growled in anger. "You're lucky." He stated. "But just remember that I _will _have you for myself! No one's gonna get between that!" He yelled and easily freed himself from the ice Kohaku had created; that cancelled the attack completely. With an angry glare in her direction, he disappeared from sight. Kohaku fell when his arm let go of her.

"What happened here?" The familiar voice of Unohana asked, followed by a gasp. "Kohaku!" She exclaimed and turned to the others with her. "Hurry, check the Squad 11 member for any sort of wound." She commanded and the others did as she instructed. She rushed over to Kohaku's side and got on her knees. "Kohaku, what happened?"

Kohaku held her arms close to her body and shook her head. "I-I dunno. He—he came outta nowhere Captain, and disappeared without a trace." She tried to explain, but she was so shocked by what had just happened that the explanation came out sounding like an insane person's ramblings. Although she had acted tough, the truth was that Kohaku had never been more terrified in her life.

Unohana gently pulled Kohaku into a caring hug. "Please, can you tell me who it was?"

Kohaku hugged her Captain back. "The one who killed my grandpa; Katashi Gogorou." She answered fearfully. "He recognized me right away and he made me so mad that I tried to fight him but…" She trailed off.

"But what, Kohaku? Tell me the entire story." Unohana ushered kindly. "Please, I need to know everything."

Kohaku tightened her hold on Unohana as the others turned their heads to them curiously. "He said that he 'wanted me for himself.' He grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let me go, b-but it wasn't a kind gesture! It was so scary Captain I don't—" She cut herself off when a loud sob escaped her. "After he finally let me go I cut him, but he healed right back up then pinned me to the tree. While I was pinned there I put up a fight by freezing him to the ground, but he _still_ wouldn't let go of me! Then he…"

"Keep going, its ok." Unohana said. "He's gone now and won't bother you anymore. Please, finish the story for me."

Kohaku gripped the fabric of her Captain's sleeve and buried her head in Unohana's shoulder. "He kissed me and tried to strip me…what was his problem Captain? I-I don't understand!"

"I know, but some people just are not right." She explained. "They do things for no reason, and they get away with it, but I _will not _allow this to slide. This now involves my own Squad, and I must do my job and look out for them." She said and hugged Kohaku tighter. "Is that all or did he do anything else?"

Kohaku shook her head. "He disappeared right before you got here." He said and looked up at her Captain. "I'm glad you found me when you did…I know what he was _wanting_ to do…"

Unohana nodded. "I only wish that I had arrived _much _sooner than I did." She said and pat Kohaku's head kindly. "Please, can you stand?"

"Y-Yeah…" She answered and stood up. "Captain…can you take me back home?" She asked, looking down at Unohana. "I-I don't wanna be alone and walking the streets…"

"Of course Kohaku." She replied and grabbed Aoiaroshi who was lying nearby; she then stood up to join Kohaku. "Here." She said and handed her, her weapon.

Kohaku took it and looked over at Amaterasu who was now sitting up holding her head. "Did he hurt you?" Kohaku asked and approached her best friend.

"N-No!" Amaterasu replied quickly. "W-Well not as bad as he hurt you. Actually, _he _didn't hurt me. I fell unconscious because I hit my head on a tree, he didn't even touch me."

Kohaku smiled and nodded. "Ok." She answered. She knew that Katashi had used a Kido spell to shoo Amaterasu away from him, but she knew that Amaterasu would still reject the fact. "As long as you're ok."

"I am, quit worrying." She replied with a smile. "Listen…I won't say anything about this to my Captain, because he'd only wanna punish you even though he isn't authorized to do so. I'll just say I was knocked out _before_ you got here, ok?"

Kohaku opened her mouth to protest, but Unohana interrupted. "Thank you." The Captain of Squad 4 said. "I deeply appreciate that; it is very kind of you."

Amaterasu nodded. "Notta problem Captain Unohana." She said with a formal bow and turned to Kohaku who was looking down. "I wanna stay at your place tonight Kohaku, do you mind?"

Kohaku looked at her best friend. "I don't have a place for you to sleep comfortably, though."

Amaterasu shrugged with a smile. "I don't care. I just…I don't feel like going clear to my place; I'm really tired because of this 'lil incident.'" She said and stood up slowly. When she was all the way standing, she looked wobbly as she held her head that had to be throbbing. "Don't worry Kohaku, I'm fine to walk."

"Are you—"

Unohana cut Kohaku off. "It's ok. I will be with the two of you so if anything happens, I will be able to react swiftly."

Kohaku looked up at her Captain and bowed. "Thank you Captain, this means so much." She said.

Amaterasu mimicked her movements. "Yes, I'm very grateful to you." After a kind nod from Unohana, the three of them made their way back to Kohaku's house. Each of them thankful that the other was there.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note****: **And that's the end of Chapter Six! Yes…Katashi is a creeper…he's definitely weird. Reviews make me happy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six****:**

**Ambie's Note****: **Here's Chapter Seven! So…please enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer****: **Bleach does not belong to me, but Kohaku does. Well…any unfamiliar characters beside Kohaku, belong to my friends!

~*~*~*~

Kohaku dodged another one of Renji's attacks by jumping out of the way. She landed atop a rock and raised her weapon to activate her Shikai, but Renji once again launched an attack at her and she dodged it again. She growled angrily as she caught a glimpse of how cocky he looked. _"God damn it! Why won't he let up, for just a second?" _She thought to herself as she once again dodged an attack. "You're getting annoying Renji!" She yelled loudly. "Aren't you gonna—"

When she saw him smirk she cut herself off. "Probably not Kohaku!" He responded and attacked again. This time, Kohaku did not jump out of the way, instead she growled in annoyance and blocked his attack and _quickly _approached Renji.

With a smirk, she released one hand from Aoiaroshi's hilt. "Hi." She greeted simply and held up her free hand. "Hado 33: Soukatsui!" She commanded and a burst of blue spiritual energy fired from Kohaku's fingertips and hit Renji right on the chest. When the spell made contact, he fell to the ground and lost his hold on his weapon. She hopped to the ground to join him with a triumphant smile on her face as she looked at him. "Surprise!" She taunted with a giggle. "Betcha weren't expecting that, huh?"

Renji sat up slowly, in quite a bit of pain. "Yeah…not really." He said simply. "A little warning would've been nice."

She smiled and offered her hand to him; he accepted the help. "Well, you were getting on my nerves and I could easily use Kido in a _real_ battle…I just never though of using it while we trained." She explained while pulling him to stand. "It would've been stronger if I hadn't dismissed the chant…"

When Renji was steadily on his feet he let go of her hand. "We've been training together for three weeks…and you just randomly decide to use Kido today?"

Kohaku giggled and nodded. "Uh-huh, pretty much!" She said happily. "Are you alright to keep training, or do you need to rest for a bit?"

Renji smirked and shook her head. "Are you serious? Something like this isn't anything. I barely even felt it…geez…" He said and turned his head away from her.

She shook hers and playfully shoved him. "Please! You could barely stand a minute ago, now you're gonna say that my attack didn't even hurt?" She put her hands on her hips and turned her head away. "You're such a liar!"

Renji laughed lightly. "I'm fine." He responded. "I just wasn't expecting that to happen."

Kohaku turned back to face him with a playful smile. "I know my Kido kicks ass, thank you!" She exclaimed and grabbed her Zanpakuto that she had accidentally dropped. "Now come on! I'm gettin' good!"

"Chill out Kohaku." Renji said simply and grabbed Zabimaru. "You still haven't beat me, you haven't even—"

"Holler Aoiaroshi!" She commanded and felt her Shikai activate not even a second later. "Ok, I'm ready now!" She yelled and disappeared from Renji's sight; she appeared on his left side in under a half-second with her weapon held at his throat. "Well come on Lieutenant!"

Renji jumped slightly and made eye contact with Kohaku. "What the hell!? That's definitely not fair! I never said I was ready and—"

"Stop complaining and pick up Zabimaru." Kohaku growled. "I'm in the zone right now and I—" She got cut off when Renji suddenly disappeared from sight and appeared on _her_ left side. Right as he was about to strike at her, she raised her weapon and deflected his attack with skill that even surprised _her_.

The surprise did not last very long until she was forced to deflect more of Renji's quick attacks. The two Soul Reapers ended up being a decent challenge for each other; they continuously hit each other's swords but never the other Soul Reaper. It was how it usually was. _"This always happens!"_ Kohaku thought to herself while she continued to fight. _"The day goes by, and nobody is declared a winner! I wanna be able to actually _beat _Renji! I wanna show him how much I've improved…" _Attacks continued to meet with equal power behind them, neither Renji nor Kohaku being able to overpower the other. At one point the attacks stopped hitting, and both of them ended up getting each other. Kohaku landing a hit across Renji's chest and Renji slicing up Kohaku's left arm.

They ceased their attacks and stared one another down, both sides annoyed with the other. "Kohaku, does _anything_ seem different to you?" Renji questioned.

Kohaku shook her head slowly. "No…everything feels the same." She said and realized that she had not completely released her Shikai ability. She smiled slightly and raised her weapon. "Not right now anyways!" She said, her voice full of confidence. She smiled 'evilly' and mentally activated the rest of her attack. Not even a second later, the training area was filled with water which caught Renji off guard. With another smile, she froze the liquid where her challenger stood in shock. She did not raise the freeze-mark, but the area around Renji's ankles was frozen and he was unable to move.

"It was a lot faster this time." He said simply, looking at Kohaku. "It was quick enough to catch me of guard."

Kohaku smiled with a nod and approached him, freezing the water beneath her so she would not get wet. "Yup, then I just slice off their head while they're immobile, and _'bam' _I'm the winner!" She explained and unfroze Renji so he would not be harmed by the ice; she deactivated the attack with another smile and placed Aoiaroshi back into her sheath. "Would you have been able to escape and counterattack?"

"I probably could've." He answered. "In order for you to 'perfect' your attack, you need to find a way to completely stop the enemies' movements."

"_That _or I need to finish them off quicker." She responded. "As for my Shikai, I don't think it's gonna get much stronger. There's only so much you can do with an attack like this…but if I were to reach Bankai I'm pretty sure that my abilities will have more possibilities to 'em."

Renji nodded simply. "Yeah, that's how it normally works out." He said with a sigh. "How much longer until you think you'll be able use it?"

Kohaku sighed and plopped to the ground. "I have no idea…I only just now learned to perform Aoiaroshi's Shikai to it's peak. I may be a long time still…then again maybe not…" She explained and saw Renji nod slightly. Sure, the _main_ reason Kohaku agreed to train with Renji was to become stronger, but since she had started her 'training sessions' with him, the more her feelings for him grew. She knew that right after she reached Bankai, that she and Renji would not be as close, and that thought prevented her from moving forward.

"Hey, you ok Kohaku?" Renji's voice asked, pulling Kohaku back to reality.

"Huh? Yeah I'm good!" She exclaimed and stood back up.

Renji raised an eyebrow. "You kinda got spacey there for a second, it concerned me a little." He explained. It had been three weeks since Kohaku's run-in with Katashi Gogorou, and she had told Renji the story. She knew that it had happened a while back, but she was still freaked out by it. Even though whenever she thought of it she'd get scared, she could tell that the fear was disappearing and being replaced with anger and hatred.

She clenched her fists tightly. "Remember when I told you about that incident a few weeks ago?" She questioned and she saw Renji nod. "When I told you about it, I was scared shitless by it, but now…now I'm just pissed that I wasn't capable of killing that man!"

"Is that why you're trying to get stronger then?" He asked. "You wanna finish him off yourself don't you?"

Kohaku calmed down and unclenched her fists. "At first I just wanted to do it for my own sake; I didn't know what I was gonna use the power for." She explained. "Then when Katashi attacked me so easily, and managed to escape without trouble, I felt like I couldn't do anything. I felt so weak that it made me sick. When I woke up the next day and trained with you I decided on something; I wanna kill that man with my own hands. I want him dead for what he did to my grandpa, and I want him dead for what he _tried_ to do to me."

Renji nodded in understanding. "Your motives make alotta since, but how are you gonna accomplish that? Katashi's in the World of the Living isn't he?"

Kohaku nodded and looked at Renji with a determined smile. "Yeah, I'll just go there myself and do it. I know it's a crime to go to the World of the Living without permission…but by this point I don't give a shit as long as I can kill that bastard." She said honestly her voice unfaltering; her mind made up. "Nobody'll try to stop me, and if they do I'll just kick _their _asses!"

"You can't be serious, can you Kohaku?" He questioned. "Remember what almost happened to Rukia? What if the same happens to you?"

She shrugged simply with a smile. "As long as Katashi's dead when it happens I don't care."

Renji looked down. "Other people would care!" He exclaimed. "People like me." He added almost silently; too quiet for Kohaku to hear.

"I—" She started but cut herself off. "I know others will…but I _need _that guy dead, and I gotta do it myself." She said and looked down as well. "He has four others—that I know of—working for him…and I'll—"

Renji lifted his head and smirked. "You'll need help won't you?" He questioned, interrupting her. "I'll go with you." He stated simply.

At his words, Kohaku raised her head. "Wha-what?" She questioned in disbelief. "Why!? This doesn't have anything to do with you, and if we get in trouble and—"

"Kohaku…shut up." Renji stated, silencing her. "I made my mind up, and no amount of your whining will change it, got it?"

"B-But it—"

Renji glared at her. "Didn't you just hear me? Shut up, I'm going." He said and threw her a smirk.

Kohaku thought about protesting, but she decided against it and smiled at Renji with a nod."Alright fine, I'll let you come along…just don't get in my way." She said.

Renji nodded in approval. "Good choice." He said and pat Kohaku's head gently. "And don't worry about me gettin' in the way, I'll be sure not to."

Kohaku giggled lightly and pat Renji's head like he had hers. "Good lieutenant." She joked and dropped her hand with a slight blush. "Why do you wanna come so badly? I don't get it…"

Renji's dark eyes widened slightly, but they returned to normal soon after and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno…I just…I kinda feel obligated to—don't kill me for saying this—protect you and—"

Shock played across Kohaku's face at his words. "Wha-what!?" She questioned and glared angrily. "Are you saying I'm _weak_!? Are you!?"

"I shoulda saw this coming." He said with a sigh. "No, Kohaku, I _don't _think you're weak, believe me. It's just that I'm the one training you, and because of that I sorta think of you as my responsibility."

She growled angrily. "You _know _I can take care of myself Renji! You're not meant to be responsible for me!"

He sighed again and nodded. "I know…I'm sorry, but whenever you cry in front of me I—never mind, forget I said anything alright?"

Kohaku turned away. "Fine whatever…" She said, very unhappily. "I'll pretend you didn't call me _weak_!"

"Good, cuz I didn't." He retorted in a childish manner similar to Kohaku's. "Hell, maybe I was saying I wanted to protect you cuz I _care _about you! What if that's the case?"

"Well, I'd feel bad," she replied, "but since I _know _that's _not_ the case it doesn't matter!"

"How do you know? Maybe I love you or something like that!"

Kohaku felt her cheeks get hot, but she still remained 'annoyed.' "Hmph! I _definitely _know that's not the reason! Why don't you just admit that you think I'm weak? It's not that big of a deal!"

Renji turned back around and heaved a sigh. "Kohaku…listen to me." He said and gently turned her to face him; he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Honestly, I don't think you're weak. I think of you as the opposite of that, ok? I only feel the need to protect you when you cry…it makes you seem so much smaller than you really are. At times you remind me of a kid…" He said seriously. "Do you understand?"

At his touch, Kohaku blushed lightly and looked down with a slight nod. "Y-Yeah…I understand…I'm just not used to hearing somebody tell me that you know? I'm used to being called 'useless and in the way,' so that's the conclusion I automatically skip to…" She said looked up at him with a slight smile. "Do you feel that way with all the other girls too?"

Renji grinned and removed his hands from her shoulders. "Not really, you're different than all of them."

"How's that?"

"I dunno…it's really hard to explain…sorry." He replied and rubbed the back of his neck.

Kohaku sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah ok then." She said and managed a smile. "Just so you know…I think you're a lot different than all the other guys around here."

Renji raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She smiled mischievously and shrugged. "Oh I dunno, it's really hard to explain." She joked and pat his head. "I'm kidding, it's just because you're not such a jerk. You actually take the time to train a Squad 4 member, and it—" She cut herself off and shook her head. "I won't finish that…it'd be way too cheesy." She said with a playful giggle.

He smiled and nodded. "I'll stop you while you're ahead." He said and sighed. "Well…we better get back home, I'm pretty sure it's getting late."

Kohaku nodded. "Probably." She said and looked up at Renji. "Um…would you mind taking me to my place tonight? Please, cuz I'm having fun!"

"'Fun?'" He questioned with a shrug. "Ok, I don't mind."

She smiled happily and clapped. "Yay!" She exclaimed and giggled. "Thankies Renji!" She said and pat his head again.

"Seriously, what's your deal with that Kohaku?" He questioned with a smirk.

She shrugged. "I dunno, but you started it!" She answered with a smile of cuteness. The two of them exited the training area and headed back to their houses. They walked along the streets, talking and stuff to that degree for a few minutes, until they saw somebody rushing in towards the woods. Kohaku followed the person with her eyes. "Who was that?"

"I dunno, do you wanna see if they're ok?" Renji asked.

Kohaku thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, let's go." She said and received a confirming nod from Renji. The two of them ran after the other person and stopped when they reached the edge of the woods. They remained silent for a few seconds until they heard the light footsteps of a person. "C'mon Renji." Kohaku whispered.

"This feels a little weird." He whispered back. "We don't even know who this is, what if it's—"

"Shut up Renji." She commanded quietly. "We'll watch from the trees, that way we won't be spotted." She said and hopped into a thick, low-sitting branch. Renji followed her as they quietly hopped from tree-to-tree. This pattern did not last very long until they heard two sets of voices.

"Are you sure it's ok for us to meet here?" An unfamiliar male's voice asked. "I mean I'm an enemy…"

A female's sigh was heard. "Oh well. As long as you conceal your spiritual pressure it'll be fine."

Renji joined Kohaku on the same branch. "Do you know who they are?" He questioned almost silently.

Kohaku shrugged simply. "Notta clue…but I think they're lovers or something…" She said and smiled. "Aww…how cute!"

"I don't care if I get caught." The male said sweetly. "I'll risk anything and everything just to be with you Amaya."

Kohaku's differently-colored eyes went wide at the familiar name; Amaya Tsukigawa, 3rd Seat of Squad 2 _(Author's Note: I'm sure Squad 2 already has a 3__rd__ seat, but I'm changing it! ____)_. "Renji…I know who the girl is!" She exclaimed quietly.

"Who?"

"She's the 3rd Seat of the Punishment Force; Amaya Tsukigawa. Does her name sound familiar to you?"

Renji shook his head. "No, but shh, I'm interested in this now."

Amaya sighed again. "I just don't like the thought of something bad happening to you Ggio."

"And I don't like the thought of being away from you for so long." The guy—Ggio—said quietly.

Renji growled in annoyance. "C'mon Kohaku, get closer. I can't see anything!" He whispered.

Kohaku nodded and hopped two trees closer to the couple. When she landed comfortably on the branch, she was able to see them perfectly. "Hey I can—" She cut herself off when she saw Ggio's face; brown hair, yellow eyes and a Hollow mask in the shape of a saber-toothed tiger atop his head like a hat, an Arrancar. "R-Renji! Amaya's lover is an Arrancar!" She exclaimed quietly. "We've gotta—"

Renji held a finger to his lips. "Shh, look, let them have their 'moment,' ok?"

"_What!?_" Kohaku protested. "We can't allow the enemy to—" After seeing the look on Renji's face she shut up."Ok fine." She pouted.

Ggio sat down with his back against a tree and ushered for Amaya to sit with him. "Just for a little while?" He begged.

Amaya nodded and smiled at him. "Ok." She said and sat down, leaning her back against his chest; he wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her cheek. "Too bad it's so hard for us to get together like this…"

Ggio played with Amaya's black hair lovingly. "I know, it's a pain, but it's worth it in the end." He said with a smile and leaned down and laid a gentle kiss upon Amaya's lips. She kissed him back and turned her body to face him. After a few seconds the two pulled apart. "I love you, you know that right?"

Amaya smiled and kissed him. "I know, I love you too." She said when they pulled apart again.

During the 'make-out scene,' Kohaku felt her eyes tearing up, but when they told each other they loved each other, she flat out began to bawl. "Oh my gosh!" She yelled, causing the two lovebirds to pull apart and look at her and Renji in the tree. "It's so unfair! A love like this shouldn't have to be kept secret! It's so cute and—and it's so pure! _WAAAAH_! Why does it have to stay hidden!?" As she cried, she somehow lost her balance and fell to the ground and continued to cry.

"_Kohaku!_" Renji exclaimed in worry when she fell out of the tree and hopped down with her. "Are you alright?"

Amaya and Ggio exchanged looks and both blushed. "Wha-what are you doing here!?" Amaya questioned in shock. "Y-You know I can get you in _so much _trouble and—"

Ggio laid a hand on Amaya's shoulder. "I don't think they're gonna say anything, just look at the girl. She's bawling over there."

"It's just so beautiful and touching!" Kohaku exclaimed and walked over to Ggio and Amaya. "Please…never let each other go!" She said and wiped away more tears. "This is just so—" She cut herself off when she began to bawl again.

Amaya and Ggio did not respond for a few seconds. "Please, don't say anything about this to _anybody!_ I'll do anything if you'll just keep it a secret!" Amaya exclaimed.

Ggio nodded. "Don't say a word." He warned.

Kohaku shook her head and wiped her tears. "N-No problem…I would never ruin something as beautiful as this!"

Ggio and Amaya stared at her for a few seconds then they both nodded. "Thank you." Amaya said quietly and Kohaku saw Ggio nod in agreement. After the two of them described the way the two of them met to Renji and Kohaku, they both left.

Renji sighed. "They didn't stay very long…"

"Yeah…but it's understandable." Kohaku said, completely recovered from her previous sobbing scene. "Ggio isn't supposed to be here, and if any other Soul Reapers were to find out they wouldn't be as friendly as us."

"I just hope we don't end up regretting this…" Renji said and rubbed the back of his neck.

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah…I hope this was the right choice and—"

She was cut of by a female's giggle. "You hope what was a right choice?" The woman asked and Kohaku turned around. When the two of them saw each other, their previous contentment was replaced with shear anger.

"YOU!" The two of them exclaimed in unison. The other woman was recognized as Hana, the Squad 10 member that Kohaku had gotten into a fight with a month back.

"Why are YOUhere you stupid Squad 4 member!?" Hana questioned angrily and got into Kohaku's face as a warning. "Shouldn't you be back at the Hospital instead of out here in the woods!?"

Kohaku growled angrily and got into Hana's face, also as a warning to back-off. "That isn't any of your business now is it you FREAK OF NATURE!" She yelled loudly. "You and your giant boobs need to get outta my sight before you get hurt!"

"Oh is that so!?" Hana yelled. "What can you do!?"

Kohaku grabbed Aoiaroshi's hilt in a threatening manner. "OH I'LL SHOW YOU!" She warned angrily.

"Really now!?" Hana exclaimed immediately after and grabbed _her _Zanpakuto as well. "I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT!"

Kohaku growled angrily and completely removed Aoiaroshi from her sheath. "BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BITCH!"

Hana laughed in amusement. "Oh I'm not worried! YOU'RE A WORTHLESS, WEAK MEMBER OF SQUAD 4!" At the word 'weak,' Kohaku lost all control of herself and lunged at Hana who had yet to move from her spot. She readied her weapon to slice off her right arm, but just as she was about to reach the arrogant Squad 10 member, something prevented her from attacking and caused her to drop Aoiaroshi.

"HEY! LET GO OF ME!" She yelled and turned her head to see who had a strong hold on her. She was shocked to see Renji above her, holding onto her waist, but she shook it away immediately after. "Renji, lemme go!" She commanded, but he did not move. "She needs to be taught a thing or two she—"

A young, male's voice cut her off. "What kind of problems are you causing now, Hana?" Kohaku turned around at the familiarity of the voice and gasped when she recognized the owner. Short, white hair, beautiful blue eyes and he wore the Soul Reaper's kimono with a white, sleeveless jacket over it. It was Toshiro Hitsugaya, the Captain of Squad 10; she did not dare speak.

Hana jumped up and released her hold on her weapon. "Oh! Captain!" She exclaimed and bowed. "Uh…h-how long have you been nearby…?"

Hitsugaya crossed his arms in annoyance with his subordinate. "Long enough to witness the steps leading up to this point."

Hana giggled and stood up straight and scratched the back of her head. "Ohhh…so you've been there since I first got here…"

"Hana…you and I came here together," Hitsugaya said, "I have been standing directly behind you the entire time."

"Heh-heh-heh! OH YEAH!" Hana exclaimed while still scratching the back of her head, a dopey look on her face. "Must've slipped my mind!"

The young captain sighed and turned to Renji and Kohaku. "What is going on?" He asked, addressing Kohaku who was still in the arms of Renji.

Hana smirked. "Yes Kohaku, explain yourself to my captain."

"Uh…um…" She started and Renji released her. "P-Please forgive me Captain Hitsugaya." She said and bowed formally. "It was all my fault. I saw Hana and I lost control of myself…I was the one who started the fight."

"Is this true Lieutenant Abarai?" Hitsugaya questioned. "Or was it Hana who started it?"

Hana gasped. "Captain! I-I don't believe you'd possibly think that!" She exclaimed. "You saw it for yourself, the Squad 4 girl had _her _weapon removed, I merely had my hand on the hilt getting ready to defend myself!"

Hitsugaya rolled his stunning eyes and looked back at Renji. "Lieutenant?"

Kohaku stood up and turned to Renji whose eyes had gone wide, but only slightly. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Captain Hitsugaya, but I had my head turned when the fighting started. I don't know the true story…"

Hitsugaya studied Renji a moment, and then nodded. "Very well." He said simply. "I won't report this…I, myself, was unable to come to a decent conclusion as to who started this." He turned to Hana. "Let's return."

Hana's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. "_Captain!?_" She exclaimed in shock. "You said that you were standing behind me the entire time! How do you not realize that _Kohaku _was the one who started this?"

"I missed it." He stated right away. "Now we need to return to the Squad 10 Barracks."

Hana growled and glared at Renji and Kohaku, she turned back towards her captain. "Fine, let's go." She and Hitsugaya disappeared quickly, once again leaving Kohaku and Renji alone.

Kohaku picked up Aoiaroshi and turned to face Renji. "Your head wasn't turned." She stated and placed her Zanpakuto into its sheath. "You lied to a captain. Why'd you do that?"

He sighed and shrugged. "I didn't want you getting into trouble…that's all."

She crossed her arms in annoyance. "Well, you're gonna get in trouble if they find out about you _lying_!" She sighed. "You're not too bright Renji."

He shrugged and smirk. "Trust me, I've been told before." He said and stretched. "C'mon…I'm ready to get home…"

Kohaku nodded with a yawn. "Yeah…it's been a long day." She said simply and she and Renji exited the wood and made their way home. Renji agreed to walk Kohaku to her place and they got there soon after getting out of the woods.

"C'ya tomorrow Kohaku." He said when they reached her house.

At first she did not respond to his goodbye, but when the silence became uncomfortable she looked up at him. "Thanks." She said simply.

He raised an eyebrow. "For what exactly?"

Kohaku smiled sweetly at him. "For one, taking time to train me…and for two…" She looked back down and blushed. "Well…you lied so I wouldn't get in trouble…so thanks for that."

Renji smirked and pat her head kindly. "You're welcome Kid." He said and flash-stepped away from Kohaku's house.

She put her hand on her head where Renji had patted it. "I'M NOTTA KID RENJI!" She yelled angrily and closed her door. "I'm the same age as you…I'm just a lot shorter…" She mumbled to herself. After changing into something more comfortable, Kohaku went into her room and went to bed, thankful that the day had _finally _ended.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note****: **There's the end of Chapter Seven…heehee the lil bit of romance there makes me happy! So yeah…Amaya isn't mine and Hana isn't mine…I think I've said that before! Anyways! Reviews are a good thing in my eyes!


	8. Chapter 8

**Ambie's Note: **Ok, so here's Chapter Eight! This is a very important chapter, so pay attention!

**Disclaimer: **Bleach does not belong to me and it never will. However Kohaku is mine as are any other unfamiliar characters, except for a select few that belong to my friends/sister!

~*~*~*~

The next morning, Kohaku awoke very early, but she did not understand why. She had only gotten four hours of actual sleep, yet when she woke up she felt completely rested. She sat up in bed and sighed, looking around her room, her walls were white, her floor was wooden, and there was only one window in her bedroom. She sighed again and completely stood up, "I really need to think about redecorating…it's so dull in here…" After fixing her moderately messy bed, she decided that she might as well get ready for the day. "Renji and I aren't training today…I'm needed in the hospital." She said to herself sadly.

On days that Kohaku and Renji did not train, she was never really all that happy. Yes she was part of Squad 4, and yes she had things that needed to be done for the squad, but when she did not train she was never able to focus on anything but defeating Katashi. She clenched her fists tightly and stared at the wooden ground beneath her. _"That bastard…I NEED to defeat him and avenge my grandpa." _She thought to herself. "I need to defeat him as soon as possible…but I can't—" She gasped as an idea popped into her head and cut herself off. She smirked and unclenched her fists. "I don't _have _to train with just Renji."

Kohaku looked at the clock and confirmed that she had four hours until she needed to be at the hospital; she nodded. She grabbed her kimono and dressed herself in it; she pulled her brown hair into its regular pigtails and placed her Zanpakuto on her back. Once she was ready for the day, she exited her house and rushed to the Training Area as quickly as she could manage. When she got there, the entire place was empty; not surprisingly. _"I need to focus and teach myself to perform my Bankai…I can't rely on Renji to teach me _my _technique!"_ She thought.

Kohaku closed her differently colored eyes and grabbed Aoiaroshi's hilt in her right hand. She focused and attempted to enter the world in which her Zanpakuto's Spirit lived. For quite some time, she failed to enter the world, but just as she was about to give up she felt the atmosphere around her change and she opened her eyes.

_When they were completely opened she smiled, immediately recognizing the blue forest as Aoiaroshi's world which was a relief to her. "I-I entered on my own! How did I even do it…?" She asked herself, but instead of trying to remember what she done, she just shrugged and made her way towards the forest's center. As she walked straight, she saw the trees beginning to clear and she stopped. "Aoiaroshi, please show yourself to me." Kohaku said._

_After a few moments of silence, Kohaku felt the temperature start to fall and in front of her, she saw a ghostly blue glow. "You called?" The familiar, soft voice of Aoiaroshi questioned and the ghostly glow took the form of a large dragon with closed eyes. "I understand that you have become much stronger Kohaku." Aoiaroshi said and her eyes opened, glowing a beautiful blue. "I am glad."_

_For a short amount of time, Kohaku found herself stunned at Aoiaroshi's true form. Every other time she had come to her world, the spirit did not have any details, only a basic shape. Now, though, Kohaku was clearly looking at a large, blue, beautiful dragon. "A-Aoiaroshi you're—"_

_Aoiaroshi took two steps towards Kohaku with a nod of her large head. "Yes, I am now visible to you. You have now reached the appropriate level to call upon my full power." The dragon said and appeared to bow. "Do you have trust in my strength Kohaku?" She asked and Kohaku nodded at the question; Aoiaroshi raised her blue head and locked eyes with Kohaku. "Do you have trust in _your_ strength?"_

_"H-Huh?" She questioned. "I don't—"_

_Aoiaroshi did not move the slightest, "Kohaku, I cannot trust you with my power if you first do not trust your ability of control." The dragon said. "Now, I will ask you once again; do you trust in your own strength?"_

_Understanding exactly what Aoiaroshi meant, Kohaku nodded firmly. "Yes Aoiaroshi, I trust myself _and _you." She answered truthfully._

_Aoiaroshi nodded her huge head. "Very well. I will tell you what you must know in order to use my power." She said and Kohaku nodded and prepared to listen very intently. "As you are well aware, I am a water-based fighter; my abilities all come from the water. However, under the correct circumstances, I am capable of using the powers of all the other basic elements; earth, fire, wind, light, and darkness." She explained. "I am able to create embodiments of each of my elemental powers as long as the water power and ice power are present. In the simplest of terms; by using your Bankai you are able to control all the elements." She said and Kohaku nodded in understanding. "There is a limit to my power though. Aisu and Mizu must be present at all times—they are the embodiments of ice and water. There are five others I have the ability to create and they are as follows: Tsuchi of the earth element, Kaze of the wind element, Awai of the light, Ankoku of the darkness, and Kaki of the fire. In one calling I must create Aisu and Mizu, but I can create _one _of the other five, do you understand?"_

_"I think so." Kohaku replied. "You're saying that you can create three incarnations at a time, but two of those three have to have the powers of ice and water; the third one had the capability of being any of the other five. Is that right?"_

_Aoiaroshi nodded. "Yes, you are correct." She said. "There is one more thing I would like to discuss with you." She added and Kohaku nodded and readied to listen once again. "In battle, after you have called on my full potential, you have the ability to change the third incarnation at will, but you are given a boundary you must pay attention to." Aoiaroshi continued. "In a real fight, you only have the capability—at your current level—to change the third incarnation three times. If you exceed that number, the power will fail and your very life will be in danger, not only from the enemy, but from the three embodiments that you called upon."_

_Kohaku's mix-matched eyes went wide. "You mean that I can be killed by my own attack?"_

_Aoiaroshi closed her glowing, blue eyes and nodded. "Yes." She stated and reopened her eyes. "If that were to happen, I would be able to—to some extent—be able to stop them from turning on you. If it comes to that and you are not in possession of my hilt, I will be powerless in my aide…please remember that Kohaku. I wish not for anything to happen to you." Kohaku nodded and Aoiaroshi appeared to be relieved. "It would do you well _not _to exceed your number. Eventually, after many years of training, you will be able to use all of the incarnations. For now though you may only use three of the five others." Aoiaroshi seemed to smile. "You, Kohaku, are lucky that you have started off learning how to use three, you are at a high level in the beginning." She said kindly. "Listen closely: you must call out 'Mienoumi-Youso Aoiaroshi' to enter Bankai mode, then you will quickly speak the names of all three incarnations. Is this understood Kohaku?"_

_"Yeah, I understand, but," she responded, "how will they attack? How do I control what they do?"_

_"When they appear, the blade of your Zanpakuto will disappear and you will be granted the ability to control the third one," Aoiaroshi explained calmly, "I will be in charge of Aisu and Mizu, do not worry. That is why I needed to know that you trusted me."_

_Kohaku nodded. "I see." She said simply._

_"What more you can do is for you to learn on your own. Please remember all I have discussed with you." She said and disappeared in the same ghostly glow she had appeared in. "I look forward to continue to fight alongside you, Kohaku." After Aoiaroshi spoke, Kohaku felt the dragon's presence disappear. She smiled up to the sky and nodded and closed her differently colored eyes, readying herself to return to the real world._

When Kohaku's eyes reopened she immediately recognized the area around her as the Training Ground beneath the Seireitei. With a smile to herself, Kohaku unsheathed Aoiaroshi and stared that the weapon. She had received the blade fifteen years back, and within the entire time, the blade had never once taken a life. It had only had blood on it from two others, one her training partner and one her enemy. A Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto was their partner, their friend, and their weapon. Its main purpose was to help maintain the balance of living and dead souls, but if that was the case then why hadn't Aoiaroshi been used for that? Why was the weapon even given to Kohaku? _"Up until recently she didn't have a point to be my partner, but now I'm going to use her to avenge my grandpa; I'm going to set things right." _She thought to herself with another smile. Kohaku got into a battle position and began to train on her own. Aoiaroshi had entrusted her to use her full power, and she was not about to let her partner down.

***

Katashi sat angrily in his chair as the incident from a month ago played through his mind again. He had Kohaku where he wanted her, but why did he leave her there? He could have easily taken the fearful girl to the World of the Living, but he did not. Right when he felt Unohana's presence he ran away as quickly as his feet could carry him. He growled to himself and slammed his fist down on the chair's hard arm. "I HAD HER DAMN IT!" He yelled loudly and stood up; he made his way over to the window and stared out it. "Why was I so easily provoked…I could've killed _anybody _who showed up, but I ran away!"

Just as he was about to speak more, reluctant footsteps were heard approaching him. "Lord Katashi?" Tsukiyomi's voice questioned, sounding rather shaken.

Katashi turned around and looked the blonde in the eye. "Is something wrong?" He asked, sounding _much _calmer than he actually was.

Tsukiyomi looked down and shook her head. "N-No…nothing is wrong with anything." She said quietly. "I came here just wishing to speak to you. Please, tell me what happened to get you so angry. I-I do not like seeing you upset…"

Katashi was both shocked and annoyed about Tsukiyomi's concern. "What do you mean? Nothing happened." He replied and walked passed Tsukiyomi, but he was stopped when her dainty hand grabbed hold of his wrist; he turned back around.

Tsukiyomi's cheeks were a light pink, but across her blue eyes Katashi could tell that she was deeply concerned. "I-I'm sorry my lord…" She said and released his arm. "Please forgive my rash actions, but I clearly heard you when you were yelling about what had happened. You cannot lie to me; I heard every word of it…" She explained and once again looked to the ground. "Please…tell me the full story. Who did you 'have' and who did you run from? I can assure you that I will not speak a word of this to anybody."

Katashi stared down at the blonde-haired woman in shock, nobody had ever asked him what was wrong; they were always too afraid to do so. He smiled and laid a hand atop her head in a caring gesture. "This is a first for me Tsukiyomi." He said and the woman raised her head and looked at him, her face beet read. "Usually all of you are too afraid to ask me what's wrong, did somebody put you up to this?"

Tsukiyomi's face was still read, but she shook her head. "No…I decided on this myself Lord Katashi. I realized that you were clearly upset—more upset than you have ever been while with us—and I did not like seeing you that way," she looked down once again, "I care too deeply about your well being."

Katashi smirked and pulled her into a loving hug. "Another first." He stated simply and released Tsukiyomi from his hold. "I suppose that makes two of you that feel that way." He said, speaking of Ikiru's feelings that he was clear with. _**(Yes, Ikiru IS a guy, no typos!) **_"Even though I understand what you and Ikiru feel I don't think that—"

"I understand my lord." Tsukiyomi said with a mature nod. "I knew from the beginning that you had feelings for Kentoki's granddaughter…I-I knew that you did not feel that way for me." She explained, not seeming too upset. "However that does not change how I feel about you and it does not change that I wish to know why you are so bothered."

"You're in the same position as I am, you just have it easier cuz I don't _hate _you." Katashi sighed. "Kohaku—that the girl's name—hates me…not surprisingly." He said and released another sigh. "For one she knows what I did to Kentoki, and for two I so easily lost control of myself…" He clenched his fists. "I wasn't able to—"

Tsukiyomi's nod cut Katashi off. "I think you need to work on that 'issue.' How could you lose control so easily? I understand that the girl is beautiful and your feelings are strong, but you mustn't allow your feeling control you."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard all that before." Katashi said and rested his back against wall nearby. "I know that I'll eventually have to take _her _life, cuz I know that she's training to come and kill me. I assume I'll haveta put aside my feelings and do my job, huh?"

Tsukiyomi approached him and rested her back against the same wall. "You will, or else she will win." She said and looked up at Katashi with a serious expression. "I presume that she will not come alone, so I will not be able to protect you if need be…I _know _that I will not be the one fighting her, you will have to do it on your own Lord Katashi."

He laughed casually and smiled at Tsukiyomi. "You protect me? Shouldn't that be the other way around?" He questioned. "It's the man's job to protect the women and children…"

"Are you referring to me and Aiko?" She questioned and Katashi nodded. "Have you ever observed me as I fight?"

"I've never observed anybody else fighting cuz I'm the one who chooses to do the majority of it."

Tsukiyomi nodded. "That is my point." She said with a sigh. "I do not want you to think that I need your protecting, because I am one of the most capable to protect themselves. Please only worry about Aiko, I will be fine."

Katashi smirked and pushed off the wall. "You don't want me to worry about you?" He asked flirtatiously. "You don't want me to care about you Tsukiyomi?"

Her cheeks flushed red. "N-No! D-Do not take that the wrong way my lord! I would love for you to care about me, but I do not want you to think that I cannot fend for myself. You understand what I am saying, yes?"

"You're so serious." Katashi said and pat her head. "Of course I care about you; I care about all of you. I just don't worry about Ken'ichi and Ikiru…I do kinda worry about Ren though; he's not the best fighter…" He explained and sighed. "The point is, I care about you and Aiko the most."

Tsukiyomi blushed once again and actually smiled; a rare thing with her. "Thank you Lord Katashi…th-that means a lot to me…"

"Wow…" Katashi said, sounding stunned.

"What is wrong my lord?"

He smirked and put his hand under Tsukiyomi's chin and gently tilted her head up. "I have a question for you." He said and saw her blush deeper. He removed his hand from under her chin and looked her right in the eyes. "Why don't you smile more often?"

"Hu-Huh? I-I don't understand what you mean." Tsukiyomi replied, her face still about as red as her shirt.

Katashi raised an eyebrow. "What's not to understand? I just wanna know why you don't ever smile at me when we pass each other during the day." He explained. "Just a second ago was the first and only time I've ever seen you smile like that. Why keep it to yourself, it was pretty and your entire face lit up."

Tsukiyomi's blue eyes went wide and a quite gasp escaped her. "L-Lord Katashi! Pl-Please do not say things like that; you are making me blush…"

"You've been doing that since you first got here." He stated simply and smirked. "You're a gorgeous woman and you have a beautiful smile, share it with the world sometimes." He said and pat her head. "Listen…thanks for taking time to talk to me, but for right now I need to be alone and sort through my thoughts ok?"

Tsukiyomi quit leaning against the wall and bowed formally. "You are very welcome Lord—"

"My name isn't 'lord,' call me by my first name when it's just the two of us."

She lifted her head and looked Katashi in the green eyes. She looked down and nodded lightly. "You are very welcome Katashi." She said and looked back up at him with another smile. "I am glad I was helpful to you." She added and exited the room, her high-heeled shoes echoing down the hallway.

Katashi sighed and waited until he could tell she was completely gone before he walked back to his chair. He sat down and stared straight ahead, hearing nothing but silence. Tsukiyomi was right, it was likely that Kohaku would bring others with her when she came to find him, and chances were that they would all be high-ranking Soul Reapers. That would mean that all of the others would have to fight their own battles, and Katashi would not be able to help any of them. He sighed to himself and rested his elbow on the armrest; he held his head in his hand. _"I hope we will be able to defeat them…especially you Tsukiyomi…"_

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **…And there was that! Maybe not the most exciting chapter, but it was very important! Yes, Katashi is kind to his subordinates and is STILL a creeper! Please review, I'll be forever happy! =^..^=


	9. Chapter 9

**Ambie's Note: **And here's Chapter Nine! This chapter is more exciting than the last, but it's still relatively important! An early warning: this IS a bit of romance in this chapter…not to the extreme just some playful flirting!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, but Kohaku is mine!

~*~*~*~

Kohaku breathed heavily and looked around the Training Ground within her attack radius. Most of it was just a ton of debris, but there were bits and pieces that looked unscratched by the giant Bankai attack. Kohaku remained still and continued to deeply breathe. Her brown hair was all falling down and sweat rolled down her face. She assumed that it was about time for her to get to the Hospital, but she was not ready to stop just yet. "One more time…then I'll be done." She said to herself and raised Aoiaroshi up. "Bankai: Mienoumi-Youso Aoiaroshi!" She yelled and felt a sharp pain travel through her already weakened body. "Mizu, Aisu, Kaze!" She quickly added, calling the three embodiments she planned to use.

After the three names were called, the blade of the Zanpakuto split into three different pieces. Each of them flew ahead; one was a light blue, almost white, one was a cerulean blue, and the final one was a light grey-ish blue. As the three powers continued to move ahead, they began to form into dragons shaped the same as Aoiaroshi, but of different colors.

Kohaku moved the hilt of her weapon, and the grey-ish dragon moved in the same directions that Kohaku moved the hilt. She closed her mix-matched eyes for a moment and focused; she inhaled deeply and reopened them. "Kaze Dageki!" She yelled and Kaze released a strong gust of wind, creating more debris around the Training Ground. "Aisu, Mizu Dageki!" She exclaimed and the other two dragons attacked. The cerulean one created a powerful launch of freezing water, and the light blue one froze the water that was created. Kohaku smirked and opened her mouth to speak, but before a sound escaped her, she fell to her knees barely able to breathe. Unable to keep herself held up, she rested her hands on the ground beneath her and the three dragons disappeared from sight and recreated the blade of Aoiaroshi.

Kohaku continued to breathe heavily, but she managed to raise her torso again. She raised her wobbly arm and managed to place Aoiaroshi back into her sheath on her back. She slowly stood up and began to walk to the exit, when she reached it she exited the Training Ground and was once again back in the Seireitei. _"I'm pretty sure I went way overboard…but I still managed to stay within my boundary zone…I only used Kaze today." _She thought and continued to make her way to the Hospital slowly.

She only walked for a few minutes until the building came into sight. Kohaku realized that she had to look pretty terrible; in hopes of looking _somewhat _presentable she completely took down her brown hair and placed the ponytails on her right wrist. She ran her fingers through her hair and attempted to finger-brush it. After her hair was 'taken care of' she used the sleeve of her black kimono to wipe away any sweat that might still be on her face. _"That'll haveta do." _She thought to herself and entered the white building.

Right when she got inside, Kohaku saw Unohana and Isane conversing by the desk. After a few seconds, the two of them spotted her and smiled. "Good morning Kohaku." Unohana greeted kindly and tilted her head slightly. "You are not wearing your hair up today?"

Kohaku shook her head wearing a smile of her own. "Not today." She replied happily.

Isane studied her a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Um…why do you look so tired? You barely look like you're managing to keep standing."

Unohana nodded lightly. "I was going to ask the same thing Isane." She added sounding rather worried. "Kohaku…are you feeling alright?"

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine." She answered as her vision began to blur. "I, uh…I just need to—" Before she managed to finish her sentence, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, landing on her knees.

Unohana and Isane gasped in unison and they rushed over to Kohaku. "Kohaku!? What's wrong?" Isane exclaimed in worry.

Kohaku rested her hands on the floor beneath her in order to keep herself from falling over. "I'm fine…it's just that…well…"

"Isane, help me carry her to the chair over there." Unohana said and got on Kohaku's right side and draped her arm over her shoulder.

"Yes Captain!" Isane replied and got on Kohaku's left side. The two women carried her to a nearby chair, reaching it in under a second. When the got there, they placed Kohaku in it gently. "Do you want me to get her a damp washcloth Captain?" The Squad 4 lieutenant asked worriedly. "I believe it will be helpful."

"Very well Isane." Unohana answered with a nod. "Please make it hasty." She said and Isane nodded and rushed out of the area leaving Kohaku and Unohana alone. "Kohaku, you can hear me right?" The Captain asked.

"Yes, just fine Captain." She replied and made eye contact with her. "I think you and the Lieutenant may be overreacting about this."

Unohana got onto her knees to get more to Kohaku's sitting height. "If that is the case, please explain the situation to me."

Kohaku nodded. "The only reason this happened is because I overexerted myself during training." She replied.

Just then, Isane reappeared with a white washcloth and handed it to Kohaku. "Here, this will help, I promise." The lieutenant said.

Kohaku smiled and accepted the damp cloth. "Thank you Lieutenant." She said gratefully and placed the rag on her head, welcoming the coolness it brought to her.

"How did you overexert yourself?" Unohana asked. "If I remember correctly, Lieutenant Abarai is busy today."

"Yes that is true, Captain, but I wasn't training with him." Kohaku explained while still keeping the washcloth on her forehead. "I woke up really early and trained alone." She clarified. "I think I collapsed just now because I didn't have anything to eat before or after training for so long."

Unohana smiled kindly and nodded. "I see, that makes perfect sense." She said and brushed a strand of brown hair out of Kohaku's face in a motherly gesture. "That would explain why your hair is down, am I correct?"

Kohaku smiled and nodded. "Yes Captain." She replied. "I lost track of time and that was why I didn't get anything to eat and I didn't get a bath. Please forgive me." She said and bowed her head to her superiors.

Both Isane and Unohana smiled. "It's fine." Unohana answered and Isane nodded in agreement. "How did you do? Have you improved?"

Kohaku almost shouted out what had happened, but after thinking it through quickly she decided against telling her Captain and Lieutenant that she had reached Bankai. She knew for a fact that Isane had yet to reach Bankai herself. "I have improved." Kohaku answered simply with a smile. "My Shikai-Activation time has halved…maybe even more than half."

"Good job Kohaku." Isane said with a kind smile similar to that of Unohana.

"How well are you doing with your Bankai?" Unohana asked.

Kohaku's eyes widened slightly, but they quickly went back to normal right after. "Um…I dunno Captain." She answered. "I'm sure I'm on the right track, but I haven't reached it yet." She added in a lie. "I hope that I'll be able to reach it soon."

Unohana smiled and pat Kohaku's head lightly. "I am sure you will learn it before long." She said kindly. "Do you think you can stand now?"

At the sudden topic change Kohaku became confused, but she brushed it off. "Yeah, but I'll need to get something to eat in the kitchen. Is that alright Captain?"

"Of course it is Kohaku." Unohana replied. "Isane and I will accompany you." She said and helped Kohaku to her feet. For a moment after Kohaku stood up, she felt slightly wobbly, but a few moments later she had recovered. With a smile at her superiors the three of them headed to the kitchen together.

***

After working in the Hospital all day, Kohaku was relieved when she was given the 'ok' to return home. Although she had been wide awake in the morning, all of her lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to her. With a sigh, she said goodbye to her Captain and Lieutenant and exited the large building. "Thank God the day's over…" She said to herself with a stretch and a yawn. "It took—" She was cut off when she fell on her butt, dumbfounded she looked up. "What the—" She stopped when she saw the familiar Lieutenant of Squad 6. "Oh…hey Renji."

The redhead smirked and rolled his eyes. "What are you doing?" He questioned.

Kohaku rolled her eyes as well and crossed her arms. "What do you mean 'what am I doing?' I'm obviously on my way home, but _you_ appeared outta nowhere and ran into me!" She argued in annoyance.

"Oh really now?" Renji questioned and smirked. "If I'm not wrong, _you _were the one who had your arms over your head and yawning." He bickered. "Maybe you should pay more attention Kohaku."

"Oh whatever." She said and started to stand up, but she stopped when Renji held his hand out to her. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what?'" He questioned in annoyance. "I'm trying to be a nice guy and offer to help you up."

"'A nice guy?' No offense Mr. Lieutenant, but I think it's degrading that you'd try and—" She was cut off when Renji gently grabbed her right hand and pulled her to her feet. "HEY! I coulda got up myself!"

Renji smirked and shrugged. "Obviously you could've, but I helped you anyways." He said, sounding rather full of himself. After a few seconds Kohaku had not responded to him and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? I don't get a 'thanks' or anything?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You would've if I _wanted _the help, but I obviously didn't want it!" She complained and turned her head away from him. After realizing that neither of them had released the other's hand, she quickly yanked hers out of Renji's with a light blush across her normally straight face.

"Well someone's bitchy today." Renji stated and jokingly pushed Kohaku. After she did not respond, Renji walked to stand in front of her. "Is something wrong?"

Her eyes widened and she blushed lightly. "Wha-What?" She questioned. "N-No! Nothing's wrong," she laughed awkwardly, "why would you think that something's wrong with me?"

Renji shrugged casually. "I dunno…you seem kinda off." He said and sighed. "What time did you wake up this morning?"

Kohaku raised a brown eyebrow at the randomness of the topic change. "Ok…random…" She said and shrugged. "It was before dawn, I can tell you that much."

"Really?" He questioned. "Didn't you say you were really tired before we got to your house?"

"I was, but I ended up waking up early…it was kinda weird really." She explained and smiled. "OH! Come with me!" She exclaimed and yanked Renji's wrist behind her as she rushed for the Training Ground. They arrived there after a short amount of time and Kohaku released her hold on him. "Ok Renji, draw you Zanpakuto!" She commanded.

His eyes widened and he looked confused. "What the hell? Why so bossy all of the sudden?" He questioned and did not reach for his weapon. "I'd kinda like an explanation."

Kohaku smirked and grabbed Aoiaroshi. "I bet you would, but it'd be easier if I just showed you. And if you don't grab Zabimaru, you might die!"

"I might die? What are—"

"You were warned Lieutenant Abarai!" She exclaimed cutting him off. "I'll go easy, no worries!" She said and raised her weapon about her head, the blade pointing up. "Bankai!" She exclaimed a noted that clear shock played across Renji's face; he immediately drew his weapon, readying to defend himself. "Mienoumi-Youso Aoiaroshi! Aisu, Mizu, Kaze!" Kohaku called and her blade split into three different dragons leaving only the hilt of the weapon. "Kaze Dageki!" She commanded and Kaze blew a gust of wind at Renji and he jumped out of the way. "What'd I tell you Lieutenant!?"

"When did you—"

Kohaku smirked and controlled Kaze's traveling path with the green and blue hilt. She guided her to ram into Renji, causing him to fall to the ground. "Aisu!" She yelled and the cerulean dragon released a stream of water from her mouth, and also hit the Squad 6 Lieutenant. Kohaku giggled lightly and dismissed the Bankai attack and her Zanpakuto became a sword once again. With another light giggle she rushed over to Renji who was lying on his back, staring up. "Whatcha think?" She asked as she hovered over him wearing a smile.

Renji did not move from his spot, he just smirked. "Wow…" He responded. "When did you reach Bankai?"

Kohaku kept the smile on her face and remained standing over Renji. "Remember when I told you that I woke up really early this morning?" She asked and received a nod from him. "That was when!"

Renji smirked again but still remained on his back. "What was it called?"

"Mienoumi-Youso Aoiaroshi."

"Wow…that's a long name." He replied with a shrug. "Even though it was a lengthy name, it was activated quickly and scared the shit outta me."

Kohaku giggled happily and nodded. "I know right?" She taunted and sat down on Renji's right side. "Actually…what you got to experience was just a demo!" She exclaimed and Renji pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I called out Aisu, Mizu, and Kaze."

"And those were the dragons right?"

"Yeah, but other than those three there are four others I can use." She explained and laughed. "So you only gotta taste of my awesomeness!" She added and playfully punched Renji's arm. He smirked and looked at the ground without a word. Kohaku looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" He replied with a sigh. "I was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it…"

"Too late for that one." She said. "Now that you've said something about it you're gonna haveta tell me."

He smirked and looked at her. "I figured as much." He said but did not add anything to it.

Kohaku raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat obnoxiously. "So…? What the matter?"

Renji sighed in annoyance. "Why do you wanna know so badly?"

Kohaku sighed in annoyance like Renji had done previously. "Well I consider you my friend and I'd like to know if something's bothering you." She explained. "Now tell me!"

Renji scratched the back of his head and growled. "It's just that when I decided to start training you I said that it was only until you reached Bankai, remember?" He questioned and Kohaku nodded in understanding. "The thing is…well…I sorta enjoy spending time with you and now that you've reached Bankai we won't have any reason to spend time together."

Kohaku's mix-matched eyes went wide and she felt her face get hot. "U-Uh…" She started and turned away from Renji. "Wh-Why do you—you like to…um…" She trailed off in embarrassment.

"Um…Kohaku?" Renji questioned and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "Are you—"

She giggled embarrassedly and turned back around. "You sounded like some person's girlfriend just now!" She exclaimed. "You know…those stereotypical women who just wanna spend time alone with their men!"

Renji's hand remained on Kohaku's shoulder for a moment, but he smirked and turned his head from her; he dropped his hand. "I did didn't I?" He questioned with a dry laugh.

Kohaku nodded and pat his read head. "Yup-Yup!" She said happily, but he still did not turn back around to face her. She raised an eyebrow and crawled to position herself in front of him. "Y'know, I've gotta be honest here Renji, I feel the same way as you do." She said and blushed, once again becoming serious. "Although you said you'd only train me until Bankai, it doesn't mean that we can still train _with _out Bankai, right?" She asked hopefully. "Or did you promise Captain Kuchiki that you'd only train me this far?"

Renji shook his head. "No. The Captain doesn't even know I take time to train you, and if he did he'd probably get pissed that I was using my extra time to train a Squad 4 member, no offense."

"That's ok!" She replied with a smile. "Captain Kuchiki probably hates me anyways! Most of the high-ranking captains do…"

Renji smirked. "I don't blame 'em." He said under his breath.

"HEY!" Kohaku exclaimed with a gasp. "Bastard!" She added and pushed the redheaded Lieutenant over causing him to fall on his back. After she had pushed him, Kohaku failed to stop herself from falling as well and ended up landing on top of him, her head resting on his chest. She felt herself blush madly, but she did not even try to get off of him; a part of her enjoyed it.

"Uh…Kohaku?" Renji's voice questioned. "Can you get off me?"

Kohaku blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Uh…um…OK!" She exclaimed and hustled off of Renji's chest and scooted pretty far away from him and turned away. _"Oh yeah, Kohaku…that was smooth…" _She thought to herself still quite far away from Renji.

After a few seconds of silence, Kohaku heard Renji's smirk. "Having issues?" His voice asked, only a few inches from her ear.

"AHH!" She shrieked and jumped relatively high off the ground. His warm breath caused her blush to deepen even further. She looked at him and scooted away. "Don't do that!" She warned angrily and looked away from him because of the amused expression he wore.

He laughed lightly and moved closer to her and pat her head. "Jumpy huh?" He taunted playfully and laughed again. "How'd you manage to fall over in the first place?"

She turned her head away from him and crossed her arms. "I don't think that's any of you business, now is it Lieutenant?" She questioned, once again blushing in embarrassment.

"I guess not, but I'm curious." He replied in a flirtatious tone. "Was it on purpose, or was it—"

"ZIP IT TATS!" _**(Tats=Tattoos. It's her nickname for him sometimes.**__****__**)**_ She exclaimed and shoved him down again, but this time she did not fall on top of him. Instead she quickly turned her back to him and crossed her arms angrily. "No I didn't do it on purpose; I just wasn't expecting to lose my balance! That's all!"

Renji pulled himself up and smirked. "Then why are you so defensive?"

"WHO'S BEING DEFENSIVE!?" She yelled in annoyed anger. "I'm just explaining what happened to you in an angry tone…geez…"

He pat her head again, but this time the gesture did not seem to be a taunt, actually seemed to be a caring one. "Ok, sorry." He apologized seriously. "Listen: even though you've reached Bankai, I don't wanna quit training with you. I think that the two of us should keep our training schedule like usual, cuz I want you to be able to use your Bankai to its fullest when we go after Katashi, ok?"

"Ok!" She said, unable to contain the excitement she felt knowing that her training sessions with Renji had not reached their end. She nodded with a smile. "Good idea, and since you're helping me, you'll need to get real good with your Bankai as well." Renji nodded and the two of them began to train like they normally did, Kohaku completely forgetting about her previous tiredness.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **YAY! There's the end of Chapter Nine! Like I said in the beginning, a lil' bit of cute flirting! I realized that Renji/Kohaku Romance seemed to be lacking considering they're the main characters, so I put some in this chapter! Please review, I'd love to hear what you think! =^..^= Look at the kitty! Heehee!


	10. Chapter 10

**Ambie's Note****: **It's been a bit, huh? Sorry about that…I've had company and I've been drawing and playing Resident Evil. I haven't been 'busy' per say, but I've just been preoccupied with other things! So anyways here's Chapter 10, a very fun chapter! Lemme just warn you: Kohaku and Amaterasu CAN be evil! Another fun thing about this Chapter is the cute romance, just thought I'd let you know!

**Disclaimer****: **Bleach does not belong to me, but all the unfamiliar characters belong to me and my friends!

~*~*~*~

"Tonight!?" Renji exclaimed in question as he and Kohaku put away their Zanpakuto. It had been a few months since the two of them decided to train with their Bankai in hopes of defeating Katashi, and both of them had gotten drastically better in handling theirs.

Kohaku sighed and nodded. "Well yeah! Sure it's sudden, but I really feel good about our chances against him." She explained. "Renji…we've been training really hard, everyday for the past three months, and I wanna get to him before he gets to us."

"You're still new with Bankai, do you really think you could do well up against another person's?" He asked. "I understand you doing well against me, but we don't know what Katashi can do with his!"

"I don't care." She stated. "I just have this feeling if we don't get to him as soon as possible that he'll break back into the Seireitei and do more damage."

Renji rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Yeah ok I understand," he said, "but do you even know who else you're gonna bring with you? You said yourself that there are four others involved with Katashi. Just the two of us isn't gonna cut it. And when we get there do you even _know _where he is?"

Kohaku sighed and rolled her eyes like Renji had done before her. "You act like I don't know what I'm doing." She said in annoyance. "What? Did you think I was just gonna march right into the World of the Living and start killing anything with Spiritual Pressure?" She questioned rhetorically. "I've got four others already, and they've been training just as hard as we have."

Renji seemed shocked by Kohaku's preparations. "Ok…so who are they? Are they strong?"

Kohaku had an unhappy expression on her face. "Of course they're strong ya dumbass!" She exclaimed and smacked Renji upside the head. "I'll give you the squad numbers; one's from Squad 2, one's from Squad 10, another's from Squad _11_, and the last one is from your squad!" She listed and smirked. "You still think we're not ready?"

Renji raised an eyebrow. "Who'd you get from Squad 6? I haven't heard anything." He questioned curiously.

"Actually all of them are around here, I told them to come." She said and looked around the Training Grounds. "OK GUYS…or really GIRLS!" She yelled loudly. Suddenly four women appeared, standing behind Kohaku who was smiling proudly. "See? All of 'em are 4th Seat or higher!"

"Ooh…heey Renji!" Raquarah greeted flirtatiously. "You know…if Captain Kuchiki found out we were aiding a Squad 4 Member without his permission he'd be _very_ unhappy!" She smiled creepily. "That's ok though…he's even sexier when he's angry! Purr!"

Renji blinked, cluelessly, a few times. "You know Captain Starchaser would _kill _you if she heard you talking about Captain Kuchiki like that."

A redhead sighed in annoyance. "She knows that…but she obviously has a death wish." She explained dryly. When Renji looked at her, his eyes went wide in shock.

"Wait a second Kohaku…how did you get _Hana _in on this?" He questioned. "Don't you two hate each other?"

Amaterasu nodded with a sigh of her own. "They do…but she owed me a favor." The Squad 11 Member explained. "Since Kohaku couldn't find a fourth person to help her with this, I threatened to tattle on her to my Captain and she _happily _agreed to it. Isn't that right…_Hana_?" She questioned evilly.

Hana's blue eyes went wide and she took a large step back. "Heh-heh-heh…th-that's right Amaterasu, ma'am!" She exclaimed fearfully and saluted while shivering.

Kohaku giggled lightly and approached the redheaded woman and pat her on the shoulder. "Hopefully you prove useful for this, or Amaterasu's favor won't be complete and she'll have to tell Captain Zaraki what happened to a certain object of his!"

"I-I already told you that it wasn't me you two! It was someone from Squad 12!" Hana explained in fear. "What use would I have for it?"

"Are you talking about Captain Zaraki's eyepatch that was missing for a week?" Amaya asked curiously, finally speaking up. "I was told that he got it back."

Hana's already wide eyes grew wider. "WHAT!?" She exclaimed angrily. "THEN WHY AM I BEING BLAMED FOR THIS!?" She questioned in anger and began to walk away from the group. She did not get very far until both Amaterasu and Kohaku grabbed each of her shoulders; Kohaku grabbing the right one and Amaterasu the left.

"Where do you think you're going Ms. Hana?" Kohaku questioned evilly.

Amaterasu grinned. "Sure the Captain got the eyepatch back, but nobody stepped forward to take the blame, so the perpetrator is still wandering around the Seireitei." She explained and tightened her grip on the fearful girl's shoulder.

"Yeah so? It wasn't me and you two know it!" Hana exclaimed angrily, but her fear was apparent across her face.

"That may be true—" Kohaku started.

"It may be true, but I can just tell him that it was you." Amaterasu finished. "The Captain would be furious and wouldn't bother with questions."

Kohaku's evil grin remained on her face. "He'd come after you, no doubt about it."

"He would enter your Squad Barracks and dig through each and every room…and he'd be looking for _you _Hana." Amaterasu said in a low tone.

"And what do you think he'd do if he found you, hmm Hana?"

"Uh…" The redhead swallowed heavily and nervously giggled. She pat Kohaku's and Amaterasu's hands 'kindly' and turned around and rejoined Amaya, Raquarah, and Renji without a word. Kohaku and Amaterasu exchanged looks and inconspicuously gave each other a high five.

"We're so evil." Kohaku stated simply.

Amaterasu nodded. "It was convenient that my Captain's property got stolen at this time."

"Who did it anyways?"

Amaterasu laughed lightly. "The Lieutenant. All the stuff about a Squad 12 Member doing it was just a rumor." She explained and the two girls rejoined the others. When Kohaku reached everybody again, the expression on Hana's face was very amusing.

With a light laugh Kohaku spoke up, "Ok…so we're going to the World of the Living in case you didn't catch that." She said and looked at the group she had assembled; she nodded in approval. "If your skills match your ranks you should be able to do fine against any small-ish Hollows that may or may not show up during our investigation." She explained calmly. "Although our main focus is Katashi and his people, if a Hollow _does _make an appearance you have my permission to destroy it, but be sure to do it quickly."

"So what do the others in his group look like?" Raquarah asked. "It'd be helpful to know what I'm supposed to be looking for."

Renji rolled his eyes. "Yeah…I'm sure _that's _the only reason you wanna know what they look like Raquarah." He mumbled under his breath.

"Are any of them men?" Hana added and exchanged smirks with Raquarah. "Preferably _hott _men…"

Amaya and Amaterasu exchanged looks and nods then they each smacked Hana and Raquarah upside the head. "That isn't the point Raquarah." Amaya warned.

"You can look for hott men after you _finish _your job, got it?" Amaterasu growled to Hana angrily.

"Fine…" She grumbled under her breath.

"You aren't any fun, you know that?" Raquarah commented.

Kohaku rolled her eyes. "Don't you think about anything other than hott men?" She questioned Hana and Raquarah rhetorically and shook her head. "Whatever…" She mumbled and cleared her throat, getting back to business. "Anyways…in order to get to the World of the Living, we're gonna haveta sneak out with a group being sent there tonight."

Amaya sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "I'm a part of the Punishment Force…why am I allowing you to do this?"

Kohaku nodded and giggled. "Let's talk a second Amaya." She said and led the Squad 2 Member away from all the others. When they were a fair distance from the rest of the group, she spoke. "Ok…think back."

Amaya raised an eyebrow. "Think back to when?"

"When Renji and I caught you and your lover out in the woods!" She exclaimed with a sigh. "You swore that you'd do anything as long as Renji and I kept the meeting a secret." She said and Amaya's showing eye went noticeably wider and she swallowed heavily. Kohaku nodded and pat the shorter girl's head. "Is it all coming back to ya now?"

"Uh…um…oh yeah…" She said and looked directly at the ground beneath her.

"Just remember that I could _easily _get you in trouble. If you're helpful Renji and I didn't see anything," Kohaku explained and threw Amaya an evil grin, "but if you tattle, screw up, or anything else like that Renji and I were attacked by you _and_ your sweet Arrancar lover and you were threatening us to keep quiet." At that Amaya's head shut up and she looked ready to protest, but just as she was about to speak, Kohaku raised her left hand and silenced her. "You got that?"

"B-But…Kohaku this isn't even—"

Kohaku glared at her. "_Got that?_" She questioned through gritted teeth.

Once again Amaya's showing eye widened, but she sighed and nodded. "I understand." She said and formally bowed. "Please forgive my misdemeanor."

"Okie dokie!" Kohaku said happily and pat Amaya's head again. "Now let's get back to the others, ok?" She questioned and received a nod from Amaya; they both headed back to the others.

"What was that about?" Renji asked when the two girls rejoined them.

Kohaku smiled innocently. "Oh…Amaya and I just had a 'little' misunderstanding! Isn't that right?"

Amaya looked down but nodded. "Yeah, it's not a big deal. It has all been cleared up."

"Uh-huh, exactly!" Kohaku said and sighed. "Now…back to business. Ok, so I was talking about how we're gonna get outta here without being caught." She explained and cleared her throat. "A few people from Squad 10 are being dispatched tonight on a short mission to the Human World. You know what I'm talking about, right Hana?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, it's only like a 24 hour thing." She said. "Since I', 3rd Seat _**(Once again, I'm sure they already have a 3**__**rd**__** Seat, but I'm changing it up!)**_ I'm the one who is seeing the group off; the Captain and Lieutenant are supposed to be doing a buncha paperwork."

Kohaku smiled approvingly. "This makes thing even easier!" She exclaimed. "You can just let us all rush through real fast!"

Hana sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "I cannot!" She shouted. "I'm sure they're gonna have another Captain there to make sure things go smoothly!"

"Yeah and…?"

Hana growled angrily. "If they find out I'm letting people through the gate without authorization I will be in some kinda shit!" She yelled. "My Captain will send me back to the Punishment Force! I don't wanna go there…AGAIN!"

"Then just say we're part of the mission! Since I'm in Squad 4, you can tell them that I'm there to provide healing support just in case it's needed. That or I can cause a distraction and hope that the Captain there will look away for a split second…"

"No Kohaku! I'm not gonna do it!" Hana growled. "Find some other way!"

For a second, Kohaku just glared at Hana, but after an idea popped into her mind she smiled evilly. "Would you rather deal with the Punishment Force or Captain Zaraki?"

"Wha-What!?" Hana exclaimed in shock. "D-Don't—STOP IT! I'm sick of your threats Kohaku! Just shut up, I know you won't—" When Hana caught sight of Kohaku's serious expression her blue eyes widened momentarily, then she just glared. "Fine. I'll let you guys sneak through."

Kohaku nodded in approval. "Good choice Hana!"

"BUT," the Squad 10 member started which caused Kohaku to give her a questioning look, "I have one condition."

_"Oh God…I can only imagine how this'll turn out…" _She thought to herself. "Yeah? What's the condition?"

Hana looked at Kohaku with an evil grin of her own and crossed her arms with a nod. "_If _we manage to defeat Katashi, when we come back I want you to turn yourself into the Punishment Force, then tell my captain that _you _started that one fight that one time!"

Kohaku gasped. "What!?" She exclaimed in shock.

"Wait a sec Hana," Renji started, "that's not entirely fair!"

"I think it seems pretty fair." Hana said and Amaya quietly nodded in silent agreement.

For a moment Kohaku did not respond, but she eventually sighed heavily and nodded in defeat. "Ok, deal." She said reluctantly and saw a proud smile play across Hana's face. Kohaku rolled her eyes at the girl. "Wipe that grin off your face Hana, when I turn myself in _all _of us will have to serve time. I'm not gonna say that I went by myself, just so you know." She explained and saw everyone's eyes go wide except for Renji. "Renji?"

"I don't care." He stated. "I'm the only one who _chose _to come, so I'm not bothered."

"Are you crazy Renji!?" Hana exclaimed in shock.

Raquarah nodded. "Yeah! The girl's gonna get you in trouble for her own problems! Captain Kuchiki won't be happy!"

"I know." The redheaded lieutenant said with a simple shrug. "Let em get pissy; he'll eventually get over it."

Amaterasu sighed in annoyance. "Wish I could say that about my Captain." She said and rubbed the back of her neck. "He'll probably wanna punish me himself. Oh well, I suppose it'll be tough training for me; it'll be good in the long run."

Amaya shrugged. "I'm used to getting in trouble with the Captain," she said and added in an almost silent whisper, "Captain Soifon won't punish me anyways."

"What'd you say Amaya?" Hana questioned.

Amaya's showing eye went wide for a second but she immediately calmed. "Nothing! It's not important…" She responded and looked at Hana. "When are we going to leave?"

"The gates'll open at about 10, make sure _all _of you are there or you won't get to go anywhere! GOT IT!?" She exclaimed angrily and disappeared from sight with an impressive Flash Step.

Raquarah's brown eyes went wide for a second. "Wow…Hana's never been able to move _that _fast before." She said and turned to Renji with a perverted grin. "I'll see you tonight Renji." She said in a seductive tone. "Bye now." She added and disappeared from sight.

Kohaku glared at the spot the Squad 6 Member had just been standing, not happy at all. _"That bitch…who does she think she is? Hitting on Renji like that…" _She thought to herself angrily.

"Ugh…that woman freaks me out in a number of ways." Renji said and shuddered. "She _never _leaves me alone…the only time I'm able to get away from her is when I train with you Kohaku. _But _now that she knows what I've been doing in my spare time," he slumped his shoulders lowered his head, "damn it…"

Amaterasu smirked and crossed her arms. "Why don't you pretend to date Kohaku? I'm sure she'll—"

Both Kohaku's and Renji's faces went red with a blush. "N-NO AMATERASU! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" They exclaimed at the same time. With another blush the two exchanged shocked looks.

Renji rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from Kohaku. "Um…yeah…"

"Heh-heh…" Kohaku laughed nervously and turned away as well. "Yeah, so that's not gonna happen…"

Amaterasu smirked and exchanged skeptical looks with Amaya. "I think it will." Amaterasu said and laughed lightly. "Just watch, by the end of this 'mission' the two of you will be inseparable. I'm willing to bet a kiss'll happen." She nodded and laughed again. "Well, see ya around lovebirds." With that, the Squad 11 member disappeared from sight.

Amaya smiled at Renji and Kohaku. "I've gotta say, I agree with Amaterasu on this one." She explained and the two of them turned to her seeming skeptical. "Listen…ever since that night you caught Ggio and I in the forest, it's been bothering me that the two of you were together so late. When I learned that you've been training together all this time—" she laughed cutting herself off. "Don't worry, I'll butt out." She said and waved; she disappeared from sight moments later, leaving Renji and Kohaku alone.

An awkward silence lingered over them for quite some time. Every now and then they'd look at each other, but they'd turn away right after their eyes met. At some point one would think about speaking but they'd never say anything.

Kohaku laughed awkwardly. "D-Don't listen to them…what do they know? R-Right?" She questioned with a distinct blush across her face.

Renji smirked and rubbed the back of his neck again; a habit when he was nervous. "Yeah…" He said, not sounding too convincing. "Just because we train together often doesn't mean anything. We're just—"

"Friends!" Kohaku exclaimed with a smile, interrupting the Squad 6 Lieutenant. "We're nothing more, and we never will be…" She said and looked down, unable to prevent the sadness that filled her. She knew that Renji would never even _consider _someone of her stature and rank; why would a lieutenant consider someone who was not even seated in a Squad?

"Um…Kohaku?" He questioned and she looked up at him with teary eyes. When he caught this that feeling kicked in again. "Wha-What's wrong!? Why are you—"

She gasped in shock and laughed dryly. "No-Nothing! It's just that—you know what? Just forget it and—"

Renji's sigh cut her off. "Haven't we talked about this before? How I feel when you cry…"

Kohaku wiped away the tears that had begun to roll down her face. "Ok, ok…I'll stop! No problems here, heh-heh! I think that—" Before she could finish her sentence she felt strong arms wrap around her and her eyes went wide and her face turned red. "R-Renji what are—"

"Why are you crying? Tell me." He said and tightened his hold on her. "Just because we're friends it doesn't mean I _wouldn't _consider you. Haven't you figured it out by now?"

Kohaku was still frozen in shock by Renji's sudden movements. "H-Huh?" She managed to question. "What do you mean by that?"

He sighed but still did not release her. "There's a lot to it." He stated. "There's no way I could explain it to you…I figured you'd get _something_ out of some of the things I've said to you during our training." He smirked. "Either you're stupid or just stubborn, but I'm leaning more towards the first one."

"Jerk." Kohaku said and laughed lightly, getting used to Renji's embrace. "Uh…so what are you talking about? Your pep talks?"

Renji pulled away from her with a grin on his face; he shook his head. "Never mind, I'll tell you some other day." He said and got closer to Kohaku's face, still wearing the grin. "Just make sure you don't get hurt while we're in the World of the Living, ok? No dying!" He said and gently laid a kiss on Kohaku's cheek. "C'ya later." He added and disappeared from sight.

Kohaku stared straight ahead at the empty Training Grounds with her mouth agape. She held her right hand over the spot she had just been kissed with a deep blush on her face; she swallowed heavily. "B-Bye…Renji…" She said to nobody.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's 2****nd**** Note****: **Yay! That was Chapter 10, fun right? Who knew that Kohaku could be so evil? And the romance cute, no? Heehee so yeah, they're heading to the World of the Living FINALLY, and that'll be the main focus of the next chapter…hopefully. Reviews are respected!


	11. Chapter 11

**Ambie's Note: **Hiya, hiya! Here's Chapter Eleven! In this chapter we learn a bit about the people in Katashi's Group: their personalities towards each other, their sexual preferences, etc.! So…enjoy the reading adventure!

**Disclaimer: **Bleach does not belong to me, but all the unfamiliar characters belong to me and my dear friends!

~*~*~*~

Katashi quickly stood up from within his chair with a silent breath and looked out of the nearby window with a glare. He had felt a sudden wave of spiritual pressure from some unknown, careless Soul Reaper. "This means…" He said to himself and growled angrily; he exited his Gigai quickly and the rest of his group busted into the room all in Soul Form saving him the trip to go and find them.

"Katashi, Katashi!" Aiko chanted enthusiastically. "Is that them?"

He scanned over the Spiritual Pressure once again, but still did not recognize it. "I dunno. It's not familiar to me, but I don't expect Kohaku to be that careless. And if she brought a group with her…I'm willing to bet they'll also be careful as well."

"Meaning?" Ren questioned as he twirled a bit of his blonde hair like a bemused High School girl.

"Lord Katashi, does this mean that we're gonna confront them anyways?" Ikiru asked and Ren's face lit up at the sound of his voice. Tsukiyomi and the others remained quiet, awaiting a direct answer.

Katashi thought it over a moment. If they were to fight them, they may be at risk of becoming fatigued, and he expected that Kohaku would arrive any day now. If the group was fatigued when they faced the girl and her team it would end terribly. However if they were to confront them and it turned out to be the right people they would have the upper hand.

Katashi ran a hand through his black hair with a sigh. "I'm only gonna send two or three of you to investigate." He said and saw everybody nod, except for Aiko who gasped happily, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Hey, hey! Katashi can I go?" She asked. "If we're not gonna fight it wouldn't hurt would it?"

"Aiko…" Katashi started in slight worry. "If it _is _Kohaku and whoever else she brought once they sense you they'll—"

"Allow me my Lord." Ken'ichi said simply, surprising everybody. The entire group stared at him in shock. The guy never talked and now he just randomly decided to volunteer himself? A shock, but not too much so.

"You'll protect Aiko Ken'ichi?" Katashi asked and the silent one of the group nodded without a word and Katashi sighed. "Ok…but if she has a single _scratch _on her you'll be in deep shit! Got it!?" Ken'ichi silently nodded once again. "Alright…I'll send Ikiru to go with him. Is that ok?"

Ikiru nodded and bowed with a smile on his face. "Of course, whatever you say Lord Katashi. I'll gladly do my part in protecting Aiko from harm."

Katashi was about to speak, but Ren's shocked gasp interrupted him. "Pardon my rudeness Lord Katashi, but I don't think Ikiru should fight!" He said in worry and Ikiru stood up straight and threw the blonde man an unhappy look.

"And why not?"

Ikiru nodded in agreement. "Seriously!? Why not Ren!?"

Ren's eyes were wide and he held his hands close to his chest. "I just don't want you to get hurt Iki! I'd be terribly devastated if something were to happen."

Ikiru raised an eyebrow. "'Iki?'" He shook his head and dismissed the nickname he was used to _Aiko _calling him. "Anyways! It's just investigation, we're not gonna be hurt. If so we'll return before it gets too dangerous…_if _it gets dangerous. Remember Ken'ichi will be there with me, he's strong enough."

Ren's wide-eyed expression turned into a glare and he placed his hands on his hips. "Oh, so it's Ken'ichi is it!? I always knew you wanted him!" He turned his head from Ikiru. "I see how it is!"

Aiko giggled happily. "I knew too! Iki likes Ken-Ken!" She exclaimed and danced around. Ken'ichi did not speak, but his eyes widened slightly and he took a large step away from Ikiru.

Ikiru gasped in shock. "No! How could you think _that!? _My heart belongs to only one person!" His green eyes fell upon Katashi.

The leader sighed in embarrassment. "I've sadly been aware of this." He said and walked to stand next to Tsukiyomi who had yet to speak. "I'm sorry Ikiru, you _and _Tsukiyomi like the same person, but sadly that person doesn't like either of you like that."

Ikiru smirked and shrugged. "Oh well, I have my fantasies." He said and bowed to Katashi. "Are you still—" He was cut off by a slap in the face.

"YOU HAVE FANTASIES ABOUT OUR LEADER!?" Ren questioned in shock and stomped away soon after.

Ikiru rubbed the now red spot on his cheek. "Ow!" He exclaimed and turned back to the leader. "Am I still going with Ken'ichi and Aiko Lord Katashi?"

The black-haired man nodded. "Yeah. Leave ASAP, ok?" He ordered and Ken'ichi, Aiko and Ikiru all nodded and disappeared from sight. When they were gone Katashi turned to Tsukiyomi who wore a puzzled look on her face. "I never knew the group was so drama-filled…"

Tsukiyomi smiled slightly and nodded. "You haven't the faintest idea." She said with an annoyed sigh. "Ren is the one who starts it all…and Ikiru just ignores him which makes him even worse."

"Wow." Katashi stated and shook his head. "Listen: I think that we're gonna be 'ambushed' tonight. According to the insight I've received from the Seireitei—I have people on my side placed there—Kohaku has been training really hard and she assembled a meeting today. Chances are she's planning to get to me before I get to her, but if everything goes smoothly we'll still have the upper hand. Just be ready for anything."

Tsukiyomi nodded and looked up at Katashi seriously. "Tell me something Katashi," she started and Katashi looked down at her, "do you really believe that you love that girl?" Katashi was shocked by the sudden question and did not respond. "If you do, I am willing to assume you will not be able to finish her off once given the chance." She explained and looked down. "Do not hesitate to ask for help. You know as well as I do that if you wish to make your vision a reality, it is best if Kohaku is killed. If you love her…then you will most certainly have problems with her death." With that Tsukiyomi disappeared from sight.

Katashi stood alone in the middle of the meeting room, just absorbing what Tsukiyomi had told him. The woman was right, it was best if Kohaku were to be killed. She was quite possibly the only one who stood a chance against his abilities, like her grandfather had before her. "It's true." He said to himself remembering why Kentoki's death was necessary in more ways than one. "The Tetsukago family are the only ones with the ability to seal me away. I can't allow it, but I…" He looked down and shook his head and said no more.

~*~*~*~

The gates opened slowly under the orders of Squad 10, Hana watching the group closely. "You all know your mission!" She explained and received nods from the entire group. "Ok! Be careful and look out for each other! You know the drill!" Everyone in the group nodded as the gates opened completely. The whole group rushed out of the Soul Society.

Once the majority of the group was within the gates, Hana gave the signal to everybody else that now was their chance. Kohaku nodded and turned to the group she had assembled. "Ok. This is the real deal! It's not training anymore from here on out everything that happens is real!" She said and received everyone's nods. "Let's go before the gates close!" Once again everyone nodded and they all flash stepped into the closing gate with Hana following closely.

Moments later the six of them were in the World of the Living; the gates closed when they made it to the other side. "I cannot believe I allowed this." Amaya growled angrily.

Kohaku laughed lightly and pat Amaya's head. "I know, but it _is _for the Seireitei's safety. Katashi's nothing but bad news! Just ask Amaterasu."

The Squad 11 Member nodded slowly. "It's true. Although he only seemed to have his sights set on Kohaku and—"

"Heh-heh…ok Amaterasu!" Kohaku said, interrupting her friend. "Thanks for your insight!" She looked around the wooded area they had ended up in and searched the area for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes moved to see within the tall trees that surrounded them, but she did not notice anything except for the dark, clouded sky; it looked as though it could storm any second. She dismissed the weather situation and, after noting nothing out of the ordinary, she nodded and began to head towards the nearest town: Karakura.

"Question!" Raquarah chimed in. "Where _is _this guy you're looking for? Do you have any clues?"

Kohaku scanned her mind for any sort of clue she might have gathered, but she stopped when she realized she knew nothing about Katashi. "Uh…well you see…I, um, just thought—"

Hana crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You haven't planned anything out." She stated and sighed when Kohaku laughed awkwardly. "I shoulda figured…"

Amaterasu's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that you just waltzed right into the human world without knowing what you were looking for!?"

"And you brought us along on top of that?" Amaya added.

Renji turned to Kohaku with a puzzled look. "You told me that—"

"That I have a plan. I do, trust me!" She exclaimed suddenly. "While Katashi was in the Seireitei I memorized the feeling of his spiritual pressure. It's really different than any other I've ever felt; it won't be difficult to track. I promise!"

Raquarah sighed and ran her fingers through her brown hair. "I shouldn't have taken that bribe. Damn it Kohaku!" She complained.

Kohaku raised an eyebrow. "What bribe? You're the one who volunteered to come along simply because Renji would be here!"

Raquarah nodded and laughed embarrassedly. "Heh-heh…oh yeah, that's right!" She said. "I just thought that—" Her voice cut off when Kohaku removed Aoiaroshi from her sheath and disappeared from sight, leaving the others behind.

She did not run too far before she reached the place she had felt the presence coming from. It was an area hidden behind a tall, old tree that was not _too _far from the area where everybody was talking. When she reached the tree she carefully concealed her spiritual pressure and approached cautiously. She only took a few steps before she could easily make out a person's form. She nodded to herself and revealed her presence, laying Aoiaroshi's blade upon a brown haired guy's shoulder.

"None of you better _think _of running!" Kohaku warned and a big man with blue eyes and white hair looked up at her, a small black haired girl on his shoulder and a white bandage across his nose. "Now who are you and why are you spying on us? EXPLAIN!"

The brown haired guy turned to face her. For a moment she was shocked by just how good looking he was; shaggy brown hair and soft green eyes. But even as she was taking in his features she calmed. "Who's spying on who?" The guy asked in a smooth voice. The white haired man just grunted in response.

Kohaku glared. "Don't play dumb! I _know _when I'm being closely evaluated by the enemy!" She exclaimed angrily. Not even a second later all the others; Hana, Raquarah, Amaya, Renji and Amaterasu surrounded the group of three, all of their blades threatening them. "Where's Katashi?"

The little girl peaked from behind the tall man, but then she hid herself again. The brown haired man smirked. "Hmph. So does this mean _you're _Kohaku?" He asked, but it was obvious that he knew. "You're not all that great. I don't understand what Lord Katashi sees in you, I honestly don't." He said and stood up.

"Who are you!?" Renji questioned angrily.

Amaterasu glared. "We have no time for games! Tell us!" Hana, Raquarah, and Amaya all glared and moved in closer with their Zanpakuto.

The brown haired guy looked Renji up and down with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm…you're not bad." He said flirtatiously. "Although tattoos aren't really a turn on for me." Even as he was speaking, he quickly grabbed his Zanpakuto and rushed at Renji, surprising the Squad 6 lieutenant.

He would have been pierced through his stomach if Kohaku had not used Aoiaroshi's blade to block the attack; Renji did not move. "Who do you think you are!?" She growled angrily. "First you hit on him then you almost kill him!?" Kohaku managed to knock the sword out of the guy's hand. "I don't like that." She said and held Aoiaroshi's blade to his neck, his green eyes wide.

After a moment of shock, the guy smirked and casually pushed away the blade. "Aren't you a member of Squad 4 Kohaku?" He asked calmly. "Why aren't you in the Hospital? Isn't that where you should be?"

Kohaku narrowed her eyes and once again held the sword's blade to his neck. "That's not the point here! I asked once, but I'll ask again, and this time I expect a straight answer from you!" She yelled and got closer to the guy's face. "Where is Katashi? TELL ME!"

He laughed with closed lips curved up into a smile. "Do you honestly think you can get answers from me so easily?" He questioned and disappeared from sight. Not even a second later, he appeared behind Kohaku and held her close to him in a threatening manner. The blade of his Zanpakuto was pressed against her throat, he held the hilt with his right hand and he held the blade with his left one. The way they were positioned his arms went around her shoulders. "I think not." He taunted.

Obvious anger played across Renji's face. "Let her go!" He commanded and raised Zabimaru, but the guy did not react. Kohaku growled angrily about getting herself 'taken hostage,' and at the guy for managing to fool her.

She readied her free hand to perform a Kido spell, but right as she was about to release the Shakkahou spell she heard Raquarah's voice. "Scream out: Kagekaki!" She commanded and from the blade of her Zanpakuto a blast of Shadow and Fire consumed the guy. The surprise of the attack caused him to release Kohaku.

The Squad 4 member back-flipped out of his reach and pointed two fingers at the man. "Hado 31: Shakkahou!" She called out as she was still flipping and a ball of red energy fired at the man who was still trapped within the shadow and fire attack after she had landed. Thanks to Raquarah, the attack managed to make contact.

From within the shadow and fire, an aggravated sigh was heard, followed by a growl. "Take aim and fire: Chichoumari!" He yelled and in a split second, the attack Raquarah had launched was dispersed and hundreds of butterflies surrounded the man. Although he acted fine, his appearance showed that both the Kido spell _and_ the Shikai attack had made contact with him. He turned to Raquarah with a glare. "I'm Ikiru Suboki, and the next time we meet I'm taking you down!" He threatened and disappeared from sight.

It was by that point that Kohaku and the rest of the group realized that the two others with Ikiru disappeared. Amaterasu, Hana, and Amaya stared at the empty spot in disbelief. "No way!" Hana exclaimed.

"I _know _they were there during the attack Raquarah launched." Amaterasu stated in disbelief.

"They were!" Amaya agreed. "How did they manage to sneak by the three of us?"

Kohaku closed her mix matched eyes and searched for the three's spiritual pressure. She smiled when she realized that Ikiru was careless enough not to conceal his. She opened her eyes and smirked. "Thanks to Butterfly Man, I know where they are." She explained. "They actually aren't too far from here. Keep up and we may be able to get back at the same time the rest of the team returns." She said keeping the smirk on her face. "Come on!" Everybody nodded and followed Kohaku closely.

~*~*~*~

Katashi waited in the abandon factory building that he had made the group's hide-out _**(In case you're wondering, their hide-out has always been here…I don't think I've ever pointed that out)**_. Moments ago he had felt an unfamiliar presence attacking Ikiru. From what he gathered out of that, he strongly believed that Aiko was ok, but he could not help but worry. The attack was powerful enough to get Ikiru to release his Zanpakuto, but it was not too much of a threat. "It has to be her." Katashi said to himself. "Why else would Ikiru be attacked?"

After a few seconds of nothing, Ken'ichi and Aiko entered the room. Ken'ichi bowed to him and Aiko just waved happily. "Hiya, hiya!" The energetic little girl greeted happily, and Katashi was relieved that she was fine. "Kohaku's here along with a few others!" She explained and Ken'ichi silently nodded. "They attacked Ikiru…so we just left him behind and let him fight his own battle!"

"Neither side won, and Ikiru is just fine." Katashi said with a sigh. "The only thing that concerns me is the fact that he isn't masking his spiritual pressure and he's leading Kohaku and the rest of her group straight to us." He looked out the window and saw Ikiru had returned and sighed. "Tell Tsukiyomi and Ren to prepare for battle Aiko."

"Okie dokie Lord Katashi!" She said and saluted happily; she rushed out of the room leaving Ken'ichi and Katashi alone.

Katashi turned to the second strongest fighter of the group. "Ken'ichi I have a personal favor to ask of you." He said and the white haired man looked at him silently, urging him to continue. "I need you to pick out the strongest fighter besides Kohaku and battle them yourself. Do what you have to with that person, but be sure that Kohaku gets to me."

Ken'ichi nodded again. "Yes sir." He said in his surprisingly smooth voice. "I'll do what I can."

Katashi smirked and nodded. "Good." He stated simply. "Once you defeat them be sure to rejoin me, alright?" He said and Ken'ichi nodded silently and exited the room, leaving Katashi by himself. For a few moments he watched nothing happen outside the window, but soon after he saw a group of six Soul Reapers approach the abandoned factory, led by Kohaku. Among the group he recognized the girl from Squad 11 that had interfered with his plans when he first entered the Seireitei. "Hopefully Ken'ichi battles her, no way she'd be able to win." With a smile to himself, Katashi made his way to the middle of the factory and waited patiently for Kohaku to make an appearance.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **The end of this chapter! So yeah…Ren and Ikiru aren't actually a couple, Ren just REALLY likes Ikiru, but Ikiru loves Katashi! Ok…hopefully that cleared up a few questions you may or may not have had! Anyways, tell me what you think in a review; it'll brighten my day!


	12. Chapter 12

**Ambie's Note: **This is Chapter Twelve! We're nearing the end here people! So this chapter is…I dunno…there's some fighting even though it's not touched on too much. No worries though! After this story's done the battles we don't see will be written and submitted as something else!

**Disclaimer: **Bleach does not belong to me, but all the unfamiliar characters belong to me and my dear friends!

~*~*~*~

In front of the six Soul Reapers stood a large and seemingly deserted building; it was made of concrete and a green fungus grew over the concrete blocking, giving the old building an even creepier look. In certain spots, piping jutted out of the building.

Kohaku remained still as she focused herself, searching for Ikiru's and/or Katashi's Spiritual Pressure. After a moment, she managed to pinpoint the location of Ikiru. She grinned with a solid nod. "Good. Butterfly Man is definitely in there, so that mean Katashi has to be as well." She explained and turned to the rest of the group. "Are you guys ready? Chances are that we'll be fighting pretty much right after we get inside."

Everybody nodded in understanding and Kohaku hesitantly laid her hand on the huge, metal door's handle. Before she opened it, she inhaled deeply and released it all in one nervous sigh. Although she had been training for this moment for the past three months, she could not help but be worried about what awaited her and the group she had assembled.

Her differently colored eyes looked at the ground beneath her. _"If anything happens to any of them…it'll be all my fault. I—" _Her thoughts were cut off when she felt a weight upon her left shoulder. She turned her head and saw it was Renji. "Renji…if you—"

He shook his head and tightened his grip on her shoulder, a determined look on his face. "We'll be fine." He said simply. "I know how you feel." With a smirk he said, "I told you I was going, remember?"

Amaterasu nodded reassuringly. "Same here. I already told you that you had no chance of talking me out of it." She smirked seeming relaxed. "You don't need to worry."

Kohaku nodded in understanding at Renji's and Amaterasu's stories, but she turn to the others with an extremely guilty look. "Listen you three: I was wrong to force you to come with me. If you don't wanna go in with us, you can go back to the Soul Society; I'll keep my deals."

Hana rolled her eyes and laughed. "You feel bad about what you did!" She exclaimed and walked up to Kohaku and pat her head. "Aren't you just a _sweetie_!" She taunted and smiled, dropping her hand. "And it's because of that fact, that I'm gonna go in with you! It'll just tear you up…won't it?" She questioned evilly, but her face read different; she actually had a determined look, and Kohaku concluded that she had made her mind up already. She was not going anywhere.

Raquarah and Amaya both looked determined as well. "I came cuz Renji was gonna be here." Raquarah said with a smirk and shrug. "The plan I _originally _had isn't gonna work, so I'll just hope that I can find a hottie among the enemy." She explained and sighed. "I also suppose that Ikiru will be waiting for me; he decided that the two of us were rivals, remember?"

Amaya nodded and looked Kohaku right in the eye. "For one: I still feel as though I'm under your threat." She said and her expression softened a bit. "And for two: I have not been in a challenging battle for quite some time; I call the strongest of the fighters for myself."

After searching all of their faces and saw no trace of regret in their eyes, she calmed down quite a bit. "Ok." She said sternly and turned back to the door. "Ready your Zanpakuto." Even as she was saying it, she too grabbed the hilt of her weapon. "This may take some time." With another slightly nervous sigh, she pulled open the heavy, metal door.

As it was opening, a loud squeak from years of rust and abandonment echoed through the concrete corridors within the building. Kohaku cautiously took a step in, her senses at their strongest due to the adrenaline she felt throughout her body. When the last of the group entered the building, the door they had come in from slammed shut, startling everyone, causing them to glance back for a moment.

To the untrained eye, the large, square room they had walked into seemed deserted; not a soul around, but Kohaku and the others knew better. Immediately Kohaku's eyes looked up at the balcony that hung above them. Nothing _seemed _to be there, but once lightening flashed outside a human's shadow was made out. Kohaku readied an attack, but before she had the chance, a _huge _star-shaped weapon—most likely a shuriken—flew at her. Her eyes widened in shock, but the weapon never made contact with her.

Amaya stood in front of her, holding the shuriken in her hand. "Be more alert Kohaku!" The Squad 2 member commanded and turned around to the weapon's thrower. "Hiding will get you nowhere!" She exclaimed and threw the weapon back with an expert's aim.

Before anybody was pierced, a voice was heard. "How did you sense me?" The voice asked. "I felt that I was hiding my Spiritual Energy well."

After a rumble of thunder and a strike of lightening, Kohaku saw that Amaya had a satisfied look on her normally emotionless face. "Hiding does no good against me." She said and removed _both _of her Zanpakuto in each hand. "I am Amaya Tsukigawa, 3rd Seat, Squad 2." She told the enemy and growled. "And I will be your opponent."

Kohaku gasped in shock. "Amaya are you sure? There might be stronger opponents for you ahead and—"

Lightening flashed again and Amaya's form was made out. "That may be true," she said, "but I do not think any of you stand a chance against an opponent like this one. Not a single one of you sensed his presence when we entered." She explained. "As a part of the Punishment Force I am trained for situations such as the one right in front of us. Now go!"

The man's voice was heard again. "Ooh! Squad 2, huh?" He asked and smirked. "This should be somewhat entertaining." He said and Kohaku could just imagine the smile he was wearing. "Secretly I've always wanted to fight someone from you Squad. I want to prove how overrated you guys are!"

Amaya glared in the darkness. "Go Kohaku! This man just made it personal, is that a good enough reason to go ahead?"

Another rumble of thunder beat against Kohaku's eardrums and she nodded with a smile. "Teach him a lesson or two." She said and turned to the others. "Come on, Amaya's got this!" After receiving nods from the others Amaya smiled and disappeared from sight, beginning her battle.

~*~*~*~

The five remaining Soul Reapers quickly rushed into the next room, through another heavy set of metal doors. As the obstruction closed behind them, Kohaku heard a powerful explosion from the room they had just exited. Worry enveloped her, but she reminded herself of _who _was battling. _"It's Amaya, she's the 3__rd__ Seat of Squad 2, one of the strongest in the Seireitei. No doubt she'll be just fine." _With an unseen smile to herself, Kohaku calmly led the group down a long hallway.

"She'll be fine Kohaku." Renji's voice reassured. "Remember her ranking." He added.

Hana laughed. "Yeah, Amaya's one tough chick! Think about it…she's part of THE PUNISHMENT FORCE, and trains under Captain Soifon!"

"Obviously her training is strict." Raquarah added with a smirk.

Amaterasu's laugh was heard, "I bet she'll finish him off before the next lightening flash. She's trained to move fast, you should know that Kohaku."

"I know, I know." Kohaku replied to everyone's reassuring comments. "I'm not too worried. I just hope that something doesn't go wrong and she gets hurt somehow." She explained with a sigh. "I'm the leader of this group and anything that happens will be my fault."

Renji's smirk was heard right next to her. "You're starting to lose your charm Kohaku." He teased and pat her head; his hand dropped seconds later.

"Ooh charm!" Amaterasu said with a laugh. "I'm telling ya, if you two don't kiss by the end of this mission I'll be shocked majorly."

"Same here." Raquarah and Hana agreed, speaking in unison.

Kohaku blushed and was thankful that it went unseen. "Exactly what 'charm' are you talking about Lieutenant?"

Renji lightly laughed. "The happy-go-lucky point of view." He explained. "When we were training you were always saying that everything would end up alright; right now you're all worried and uptight. What the hell's with the attitude change?"

Kohaku took in what Renji had just said, and concluded that he had a point. She had always told herself that everything would turn out ok, but the truth was that she often ended up lying to herself. _"No…this time everything WILL turn out in our favor." _She thought to herself and nodded. "I dunno, sorry. It's just that I've never been 'leader' before."

She was playfully pushed by Amaterasu. "Don't think about _that_!" She exclaimed. "Keep the happy-go-lucky!"

"Yeah," Hana said, "that always turns out better!"

Raquarah laughed. "It's true, just think ahead."

Kohaku sighed and laughed herself. "Shut up with the pep talks! You're gonna make me wanna puke…" She said and everybody's talking stopped, everybody remembering _why _they were actually here.

For a few more moments, the group of five continued down the long corridor. They all stopped when the hall split into three different directions. Kohaku looked down in each direction, and knew that they were going to have to spit up right here; she did not know which way Katashi was. She closed her eyes and scanned the entire building for any sort of Spiritual Energy.

After a second of searching, her eyes snapped open and a loud rumble of thunder was heard. She looked down the hall that was straight in front of her. _"He's taunting me…he released that Spiritual Pressure on purpose." _She thought to herself angrily. "I've gotta go this way." She explained to her comrades. "He's down there…just waiting for me."

Hana looked down the hall that was to the right. "Someone's down here too…and they're relatively strong; clearly stronger than the person Amaya's fighting."

Raquarah looked down the left hall with a smirk. "Ikiru's waiting for me down here." She said and turned to Kohaku. "I say Hana goes to the right, and I'll go this way."

Kohaku looked at everyone's facial expressions as lightening illuminated the area; they were all determined to fight, and who was Kohaku to stop them? She nodded in understanding. "Ok. You guys can do that, just be careful. _Don't _get yourselves killed, got it!?"

Hana laughed. "Notta chance!" She exclaimed and glared at Kohaku. "You and I still need to fight…each time we've had the chance someone would interrupt."

Kohaku smiled in response. "When we get back to the Seireitei and after I serve my sentence with the Punishment Force, you and I are gonna have a battle in the Training Grounds," she said competitively, "and I'll win!"

Hana smirked and shook her head. "Yeah right." She replied and smiled. Seconds later she rushed down the right corridor, disappearing from sight.

Raquarah turned to Kohaku and shrugged. "There's not much to say." She said with a smile. "I know I'm gonna win against that guy, don't worry about it!" She explained and made her way down the left hall, but before she got too far she turned back around and locked eyes with Kohaku. "When I get back, you and I are gonna fight over Renji! I'll win and take him from ya!" She taunted and disappeared down the hallway.

"He's not even mine!" She yelled in her defense. "But I still ain't gonna let you win!"

Amaterasu laughed lightly. "Wow…_that _was bittersweet."

Renji turned to Kohaku and sighed. "Please win against her." He begged. "I _definitely _don't like her like that!"

"No worries Renji, I'm _definitely _gonna win!" She exclaimed. "I won't let ya be tortured like that."

"_That _and you want Renji yourself," Amaterasu said in a whisper to Kohaku, "ain't that right?"

Kohaku did not answer, she did not have to. Amaterasu knew about her feelings for him, as Kohaku knew Amaterasu's feelings for Shuhei; they had each told one another. A short moment of silence passed and Kohaku looked down the hall she had felt Katashi in. "He's down here…along with that big man and little girl."

Amaterasu nodded as lightening crackled and illuminated the corridor again. "Chances are that I'll be fighting that big guy."

"Yeah," Kohaku said, "with Renji."

Both Amaterasu and Renji looked at Kohaku in disbelief. "What about you!?" Renji exclaimed in worry.

Amaterasu's dark blue eyes were wide. "Kohaku, you can't take Katashi on your own!"

"And you can't take the other guy on alone either."

"How do you know for a fact?" Amaterasu questioned. "You don't believe in my abilities!?"

Kohaku looked down as thunder sounded. "Listen guys," she said, "down this hallway the two strongest fighters are waiting for us. I could feel it when the tall guy and Ikiru were spying on us; the tall guy is unimaginably strong."

Amaterasu glared angrily, as did Renji. "Kohaku!" Amaterasu exclaimed. "I'm part of Squad 11; we only fight one-on-one."

Renji, being a former member of the same squad, nodded in understanding. "If I were to help her…I'd be, both, in the way and an insult to her abilities. It Squad 11's way of things."

Kohaku looked at her two closest friends. "That may be true, but you two are really important to me." She said and looked down. "I really don't think that you'd have much of a chance against him alone, and if either of you were to get hurt…well you know the rest of this."

"It wouldn't be your fault." Amaterasu said, annoyed. "I'm the one who decided I wanted to fight him alone; I take full responsibility of my actions." She sighed. "Kohaku…you need to have Renji with you." She said and placed her hands on Kohaku's shoulders kindly. "I dunno why, but I have a feeling that Renji's presence will decide the outcome of this."

Renji turned to Kohaku and pat her head. "Again…that charm of yours is disappearing." He said and wrapped his arms around Kohaku's neck, resting his arms atop Amaterasu's hands, and hugging Kohaku from behind. "I'll only interfere if things look bad, ok? I _know _that you need to be the one to kill the guy."

Amaterasu smiled and nodded. "See? No worries!" She said and dropped her hands. "I know that I'll be able to win against this guy; I'm not worried about it, but I promise to be careful."

Kohaku raised her head and nodded with Renji still holding onto her tightly. "Ok Amaterasu. I know you'll be fine," she gently grabbed onto Renji's forearms, "and I assume Renji'll be a lot of help…" She smiled and turned her head to look up at him. "At least he better be!"

He smirked in approval. "There's the charm, it came back." He said and let her go. "Things'll be fine, I believe that you'll win, and I doubt I'll need to help too much."

Everybody nodded at each other and they all looked down the same hallway. After a few seconds, the three of them rushed down the corridor, mentally preparing themselves for the hardest of all the fights. They did not run for long before the white-haired man made an appearance by trying to attack Renji with an earth-based move.

Before it made contact, Amaterasu intercepted the move by creating a red and black shield in front of her. The move was granted by the activation of Kade's—her Zanpakuto—Shikai mode. "Ok…hurry up and get to Katashi!" She said, seeming to have no trouble keeping the shield up. "I'll take care of this guy!"

Kohaku nodded and Amaterasu's shield disappeared and she began attacking the tall man. Kohaku's eyes remained on the battle for a little bit longer, but Renji gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into the next room. _"I can't worry, she'll be fine." _She thought to herself. She nodded and dropped the thought of a battle that wasn't even her own; she looked ahead and focused on her own battle that awaited her.

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **And that's the end of this chapter! What'd ya think? Lemme know in a review please! Reviews make me happy!


	13. Chapter 13

**Ambie's Note: **Hello people! So yeah…this is Chapter Thirteen! _Long _and _important_! Kohaku finally confronts Katashi and—that's all I can tell you! You'll just haveta read! Oh yeah…I'm not very good with fighting scenes so please don't be mean.

~*~*~*~

Katashi smiled to himself as he felt Kohaku heading his way, the smile remained on his face when he found out that Ken'ichi was fighting the Squad 11 girl. _"Hmm…it seems like that girl isn't the strongest; he originally went after the guy…" _He thought and shrugged simply. "Oh well…at least I know the girl won't stand a chance against him."

Aiko looked up at him, question in her blue eyes. "Whatcha talking about Lord Katashi?"

He shook his head as thunder rolled. "Nothing…I'm just getting pretty excited to face off against Kohaku again."

"Oh." The little girl said wearing her usual smile. "You know…I hope you're not underestimating her…she was able to find me and Ikiru and Ken'ichi and we didn't even give her any hint that we were there." She explained and played with the pink ribbon that was wrapped around the hilt of Hikarihime, her Zanpakuto.

Katashi smiled at the little girl. "I'm not too worried. Between Tsusimaru's regeneration ability and Hikarihime's healing, I don't think any wound is gonna be too serious." He explained, talking about their Zanpakuto. "I hope her training toughened her up from the last time…she wasn't a challenge at all."

Aiko giggled and placed her Zanpakuto into its sheath. "That musta been real boring."

He nodded with a sigh. "Yeah…and the girl Ken'ichi is fighting wasn't a challenge either despite the fact that she's the 4th Seat of Squad 11." _**(Again I'm sure they have one…or do they? Anyways, Amaterasu is 4**__**th**__** Seat in this story.)**_

__Aiko raised a thin eyebrow and cocked her head. "I have no clue what you're talkin' about Lord Katashi. What's a 4th Seat?" She questioned and put her hands on her hips. "Wait…is this more of your fancy Soul Reaper stuff? Cuz I already told ya I have no clue about that…"

Katashi looked down at the little girl who was a Soul Reaper herself. She wore the kimonos they did, she had a weapon like theirs and she knew how to use it with ease, but she knew nothing about the Soul Society or even before the day he and his group had found her. _"It doesn't make since, but that's how it is." _He thought to himself and shook his head. "Yeah Aiko, it's Soul Reaper stuff. Tell me something: do you honestly not remember anything before we found you?"

The little girl looked at the ground and shook her head. "No…I've tried to remember a lot of times, but no matter how hard I try I can't remember anything. Sometimes it scares me, but for the most part I feel like it's good that I don't remember…I dunno why though."

"Ok, I see." Katashi said and sighed. "As long as you're ok with being here with all of us."

She giggled and hopped onto Katashi's shoulder. "I always have fun with you all! I like being able to help when someone gets hurt…normally that's Ren…but that's not the point!" She laughed again and pat Katashi's head, messing up his black hair; she then hugged her favorite person. "I'd be real sad if something bad happened to you, so make sure you win!"

Katashi smiled. "No worries, I got this. Just make sure you stay hidden, you _can't _get tangled up in it."

Aiko hopped off Katashi's shoulder and saluted him. "Yes sir!" She said with a giggle. "I get to watch though…right?"

"As long as you're not too close to the battle."

She shook her head. "No problem!" She exclaimed happily and hid behind the chair Katashi normally sat in. "Is this a good spot?"

Katashi looked around the room and saw that it was a fairly good size, he calculated that she'd be fine as long as she stayed behind it. He nodded, "Yeah, that should be good."

"Ok I—" Aiko's voice was cut off when the metal door burst open. She looked over and hid herself more behind the piece of furniture. The battle would happen at any moment, and she wanted to see how it turned out. "Lord Katashi can do it," she said to herself reassuringly, "even if Kohaku beats him once, he'll come back."

~*~*~*~

Kohaku and Renji ran down the stone corridor a while longer until another door stood before them. Kohaku laid her hand on the handle and clearly felt Katashi's presence through it; her goal was in the next room. She inhaled deeply and turned to face Renji. "Renji…listen to me, ok?" She said and he nodded in response. "I dunno how this will turn out…and if it goes badly you have to know something."

Renji's smirk was visible as lightening stuck again. "Actually…there's something I've been meaning to tell you myself." He said and Kohaku released the door's handle and looked at him with keen interest. "Remember the conversation we had at the 'meeting' after everyone had left?"

"Yeah…you were telling me not to die and stuff about things you've said to me." She started and snickered lightly. "You called me stupid."

Renji smirked and laid his hand atop Kohaku's head. "I know we're on a tight schedule here, but I need to know something." He said. "Have you honestly not caught on?"

Kohaku thought for a minute; what in the world could he have been talking about? She could not think of anything that she would need to catch onto. "Well…I guess I _am _stupid, cuz I dunno what you're talking about."

He smiled and shook his head. "I didn't plan on telling you anything until we got back to the Seireitei, but I can make adjustments." He said and sighed. "Have you ever stopped to wonder _why _I chose to train you? Or have you ever asked yourself why I didn't wanna stop? What about how I react when you cry in front of me?"

"Y-Yeah…I've wondered tons of times." She answered and looked down. "I just never came to a solid conclusion…but I _do _have fictional theories."

Renji shook his head. "I'll answer all those questions for you, ok?" He said and Kohaku nodded, urging him to keep going. "I chose to train you cuz I could tell that you wanted to become stronger, but I also wanted to stay close to you even after I got outta the Hospital and things went back to normal. I knew that the chances of us seeing each other again were slim since we're both busy people, but I didn't want us to not be close." He explained calmly. "At that point I really liked you. I had actually liked you before you were assigned to be my 'Personal Doctor.'"

Kohaku raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "If that's the case then why didn't you ever address me when we saw each other on the street? …You didn't even know my name…"

"That's true, I didn't, but I had been trying to figure it out for the longest time." He explained. "I thought about asking around, but I didn't wanna seem like a creepy stalker."

She laughed lightly, surprised that she wasn't blushing. "Personally I think trying to find out someone's name on your own seems more stalker-ish, but hey!"

Renji seemed to think about that for a minute. "You're right…that is kinda weird…" He smirked and shook his head. "Oh well, at least now you know the first part of the story." He said and sighed, getting back to the point. "After you reached Bankai, our training was supposed to end. That day I thought that I had given you plenty of signs…but I guess not."

Kohaku raised and eyebrow. "Like what?" She questioned curiously. "I figured if you were trying to give me 'signs' that you wouldn't have pushed me off of you when I fell over."

"I pushed you off?" He questioned rhetorically. "I never _pushed _you off of me, I asked you to get off."

"Why'd you ask?" She said and rolled her eyes. "No wonder I never caught on…you make things way too complicated for me."

Renji laughed lightly. "You couldn't hear how nervous I sounded? I was uncomfortable, but it wasn't unwanted." He explained with a flirtatious smirk. "Anyways, that's not what I was talking about. Remember the conversation we had before you knocked me over and fell on me?" He asked. "I kinda became quite and you were asking me what was wrong; do you remember that?"

"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed. "You wouldn't respond right away and I got annoyed, and after I asked a few times you said—"

"I said that I like spending time with you and didn't wanna quit training with you." He finished for her. "As our training—before you reached Bankai—moved on I started to look forward to just _seeing _you. It became the main focus of my day."

Kohaku smiled and wrapped her arms around Renji's neck. "Heh…weird that we both thought the same thing about our training." She said and pulled away from him. "You know…I've liked you ever since we were in the Academy. I always felt too nervous to talk to you cuz I thought you and Rukia were an 'item.'"

"A 'sister' would be more fitting." He said with a smirk. "There's one more part of my story," he explained, "it's about your crying. Do you have _any _idea how much I hate to see that!?" He questioned and Kohaku smiled slightly at his worry. "Damn it Kohaku! Don't ever cry cuz I feel like I need to kill whatever caused it to happen!"

Kohaku kept the smile on her face. "I never knew you felt like _that _when it happened. I just thought you thought of me as a sister and you were like the older brother trying to look out for me…" She explained a laughed lightly. "Actually…I always thought it was weird that I felt comfortable crying in front of you. There are only four people I cry in front of: Amaterasu, Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Isane, and you. Did you know that?"

Renji smirked. "I didn't so should I feel special or something?" He asked rhetorically. "I answered all the questions…but in a roundabout way."

Kohaku crossed her arms with a light laugh. "Yeah…I noticed; I'm waiting for a straight answer. I—" She was cut off when Renji's lips collided with her own. The move was sudden, but gentle, perhaps slightly hesitant.

When their lips first touched, Kohaku's mix matched eyes went wide and her arms came uncrossed. After a few seconds, she got used to the feeling and closed her eyes, kissing Renji back. She placed her right hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her to deepen the kiss, wrapping her left arm around his neck.

A few moments later the two pulled away from each other, breathing slightly heavier than before, but not too much so. "There's your straight answer Kohaku." Renji said with a grin.

She smiled up at him. "It was sudden…but I _definitely _liked that answer." She said approvingly.

Renji smirked. "I figured it would work better than words." He said and sighed. "Who knows…it may be the first _and _last time it happens." He explained seeming upset. "Well, we've kinda trailed away from the main point here."

Kohaku nodded, remembering that they were within Katashi's hide-out and they had yet to go through the door. "I hope you're wrong…actually, you know what, you and I _will _do it again!" She exclaimed as a determined look played across her face; Renji grinned at the comment. "_When _I kill the bastard things will be back to normal!"

Renji nodded. "Good point, now open the damn door." He said with a smirk and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I'll be right behind you the whole time, ok?"

"Yeah I know." She said and looked at him. "You'll haveta let go of me for now though." With a nod Renji released her and unsheathed Zabimaru. Kohaku grabbed the door's handle with her left hand and pulled Aoiaroshi from her sheath. With a deep inhale she pushed the door open and she and Renji rushed inside, ready to end the fight and get things back to normal.

~*~*~*~

When the heavy door opened, Kohaku immediately took in the new surroundings. Not much had changed from the rest of the building, but this room had a large staircase that led to a fancy chair. From behind the piece of furniture, Kohaku spotted the little girl from earlier; she appeared to be slightly nervous about something. By looking at the small girl, she did not sense any sort of danger, so she decided to ignore her presence.

Kohaku clenched her fists tightly and glared. "KATASHI!" She yelled loudly. "SHOW YOURSELF BASTARD!"

A man's laughter was heard echoing off the stone walls of the old building. "Kohaku…you need to watch your language." The unmistakable voice of Katashi taunted. "Another thing…why bother coming here when you know you have no chance of defeating me? You're throwing your life away."

She growled angrily and tightened her hold on the hilt of her Zanpakuto. "I don't give a shit about what you have to say!" She yelled. "There isn't an excuse for your actions!"

Katashi's smirk was heard, "I understand how angry you must be at me Kohaku, but anger isn't a strong asset in a battle." He said and appeared from one area of the heavily shadowed room. He wore the Kimono of the Soul Reaper, and in his right hand a sword was made out. "I'll give you a choice Kohaku, you can either put down you sword right now and live, or you can attack me and die. What will it be?"

Kohaku did not have to think twice about her decision. She rushed at Katashi as quickly as her flash-step could take her, Aoiaroshi's blade up and ready to strike. Moments later she felt the blade of her sword graze something, but that was all, only graze. She quickly turned around and readied to hit Katashi in a lethal place, but he raised his weapon and blocked Kohaku's attack with ease.

As he stared at her, he wore a smirk upon his lips. "Hmm…you may be a challenge this time." He said as red blood dribbled down his left cheek. The small wound was caused by Aoiaroshi's graze. "You managed to scratch my face." He used his free hand and wiped away the blood with a sigh. "It looks like it'll scar," he grinned, "good job."

For a few short moments, Katashi did nothing but block Kohaku. Annoyed with his antics, she backed away from him and disappeared from his sight. He did not seem at all fazed by her disappearance; he just stood in the same spot, waiting for her to make her move. She raised Aoiaroshi, readying to activate her shikai, but she stopped herself. She knew she could not rush this battle, and if she went into Shikai Mode, then she'd tire out too quickly.

She lowered her weapon and decided that she might as well go for another head-on attack, in hopes of tiring Katashi out before she became tired. _"Unlikely, but I'm still gonna try." _She thought to herself and rushed at him with speeds that closely matched her Shikai.

As she neared him, she began to aim for his dominate arm. She got closed and began to strike, coming in from above, but once again he managed to block her attack with his sword. The metal of both the blades made contact and a loud _'cling' _echoed through the area. Katashi raised his arm and rolled it to the right in one fluid motion, but there was a shocking amount of strength behind the move, it caused Kohaku to be flung backwards.

She did not get flung too far, just enough to be out of Katashi's reach. He smirked and raised his weapon. "Your moves are way too predictable." He taunted and disappeared from Kohaku's sight. At first, she was shocked at his sudden disappearance, but when she felt a pain across her nose she raised her weapon and managed to lay a clean hit on his left arm. "Not bad…" He said while holding his wound. "You're lucky that I don't feel challenged enough to enter Shikai."

Blood rolled down her nose and she wiped it away using her black sleeve. "…And that's a mistake on your part." She said. "I'm just getting started for right now." She added and she rushed towards him again. As he went to block her attack she disappeared and appeared behind him. By the time he caught this, she had already laid a clean slice diagonally up his back.

He winced at the pain slightly and turned around quickly. "You're getting annoying!" He exclaimed as he managed to slice her across her stomach, her black kimono cut open revealing both the wound and her flat stomach. Katashi raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…pretty nice." He said with a creepy grin.

Kohaku glared and hopped backwards, away from his hungry stare. She disappeared once again and looked back down at the spot he had been standing from her 'hiding spot,' and she saw that he was no longer standing there as a flash of lightening illuminated the strange room. "Where'd he—"

A sudden pain was felt on her upper, left arm, induced by Katashi's blade. She felt her warm blood roll down the arm. She whipped around, but Katashi himself was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, another pain was felt on the same arm, caused by the same thing. This time the slash caused her arm sleeve to fall to the stony ground beneath her.

The attacks did not end there, Katashi managed to slice her side, her right, arm, and both of her legs. The attacks tore up her black Kimono and caused a pretty large amount of blood loss. "You know…I can keep this up for quite some time Kohaku." Katashi's voice commented, but unable to be pinpointed because of the echoing atmosphere.

Kohaku searched for him in annoyance, not fear. "You enjoy being a coward!?" She questioned angrily. "What kinda opponent are you!?"

Katashi revealed himself; he was standing behind her closely. "I wouldn't use the word coward." He whispered into her ear, moving his blade up to her next. "I'd say I was an 'intelligent' fighter, if the enemy can't see you, you can be in charge of the outcome."

As his blade began piercing her skin, Renji's voice was heard. "Roar: Zabimaru!" He yelled and his segmented sword made contact with Katashi's left shoulder; blood poured from the wound, but the guy did not let go of Kohaku.

He growled and looked down at Renji. "Mind your own business and—"

"Hado number one; Sho!" Kohaku exclaimed and the low leveled spell pushed Katashi away from her, causing him to drop his sword to the ground. It landed with an echoed _'ting.'_ While Katashi was recovering from the unexpected attack, Kohaku readied another one. "Hado 54; Haien!" She yelled and a purple blast of Spirit Energy was fired at him, but he saw it coming and managed to avoid it with shocking ease.

The black-haired man disappeared from sight momentarily and Renji flash-stepped for Katashi's dropped sword, but before the Squad 6 Lieutenant could grab the weapon Katashi appeared in front of Kohaku with the sword in hand, an annoyed expression on his normally emotionless face.

"Two against one seems a little unfair, dontcha think Kohaku?" He questioned and turned his attention to Renji. Not even a second later he disappeared from sight.

Thinking quickly, Kohaku flash-stepped and stopped when she was in front of Renji. Right when she appeared there, she blocked Katashi's attack from hitting the red-haired lieutenant. "I'm you opponent Katashi." She growled through clenched teeth. "You fight _me _and _me only! _UNDERSTOOD!?" She yelled and deflected Katashi's attack.

"You _are_ getting annoying Kohaku." He said. "I'm gonna finish you off nice an slow."

Kohaku's differently colored eyes narrowed at his threat. "No you're not, cuz I'm gonna finish you off _quickly!_" She exclaimed and raised her Zanpakuto. "BANKAI! Holler: Mienoumi-Youso Aoiaroshi!" She commanded, activating her Bankai. "Mizu, Aisu, and Kaze!"

Katashi growled angrily. "A Bankai…" He told himself, shocked by Kohaku's improvement. "So what comes next?" He questioned and held out his sword. "Growl Tsusimaru!" He commanded, activating his Shikai in order to benefit from the regeneration ability.

Just as the move was starting to take effect, Kohaku's voice cut him off. "Mizu and Aisu; DAGEKI!" She exclaimed and Katashi turned towards his opponent, but he did not see her, he only saw the angry faces of two, blue dragons coming at him.

In order to avoid the powerful attack, he jumped up into the air and appeared behind Kohaku. She noticed him and a glare appeared on her face; she turned around and moved the hilt of her Zanpakuto without a word. At first he did not know what she was doing, but when he heard the roar of a dragon echo throughout the room they were in he foresaw what was to come.

"Mizu, Aisu, and Kaze Dageki!" She yelled loudly, and the two, blue dragons from before approached him. The darker blue of the two opened its mouth and a powerful stream of water jetted from it. As the water rushed at Katashi, he quickly jumped out of the way and avoided the blast.

As he was in the air, an amazingly powerful gust of wind blew him backwards; his back hit the concrete wall behind him with such force that a large hole was made where his body made contact. Large amounts of blood rolled down his face from a wound he had received on his head.

Kohaku stared at him and canceled her Bankai attack, her sword reforming to its original state. She glared and rushed at him quickly, before he had the chance to move. When she was within reach she jabbed Aoiaroshi through Katashi's heart.

His showing, blue eye went wide at the pain and blood rolled down both corners of his mouth. He smirked weakly and grabbed the blade of Kohaku's weapon. "You haven't…won…" He said and began to cough, more blood pouring from his mouth and his chest wound. "You just…got rid of me…for a short time…" He added and his hands fell from the silver blade and his head went limp, his eye closed; Katashi was no more.

Kohaku removed the weapon from his, now unmoving, chest and breathed heavily as she placed the sword back into the sheath. She had done it, _she, _a member of Squad 4, had defeated a powerful enemy on her own. She slowly turned to Renji and smiled triumphantly, but weakly. "Renji…I—" Her vision began to blur and she started to fall backwards.

Before she landed on the stone ground, Renji caught her, her head landing against his chest; unconscious. Renji looked down at her face and released a relieved sigh. "You did it Kohaku," he said and gently kissed her lips, "good job."

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Second Note: **And that's the end of this chapter! YAY for the kiss of cuteness! So…what'd ya think? Tell me in a review please! Reviews make my day!


	14. Chapter 14

**Ambie's Note: **Ok guys! This is the final chapter! Only the very first part is important, but read the rest as well, I worked really, _REALLY _hard on this whole story!

~*~*~*~

Renji gently picked Kohaku up, bridal style, and began to exit the area. He stopped when her heard quick footsteps coming closer to him, he instinctively turned around readying to defend himself, but he calmed when he saw what it was. The little girl with the black hair and green headband had come out of hiding and rushed over to Katashi's lifeless form, tears pouring from her blue eyes.

Her small hand touched his shoulders and she began to shake him. "Lord Katashi!" She yelled in a strangled tone. "Lord Katashi you gotta wake up or she'll get away!" She stopped shaking him and began to sob uncontrollably. "Please wake up." She begged and covered her eyes. "I _know_ you're alive."

Renji stared at the little girl in sadness. He knew that she was on the enemy's side, but he couldn't leave a girl so young all alone. He gently laid Kohaku down against the wall and made his way over to the girl who was still crying. "Hey…are you—"

He was cut off when the girl rushed towards him and cried into his shirt. "Why? Why did you let her do it!?" She asked, but she was not trying to fight Renji, instead she was looking to him for comfort. "Lord Katashi can't be dead! He's like my brother, he's all I have!"

Renji looked down the sad girl and ran his fingers through her choppy, black hair. "I'm sorry." He apologized caringly, but couldn't think of anything else to say. The little girl had seen the entire battle; he couldn't lie and try to make it better.

"I don't wanna be alone!" She cried and snuggled closer to Renji. "I don't wanna be alone!" She repeated. "There's nobody left, all the others with you killed them like Kohaku did to Lord Katashi! I'm scared to be alone!"

Renji hugged the small girl tightly. "I have nothing to say." He said in an apologetic tone and looked down. "I wish I could—"

"Lemme come with you!" She exclaimed and pulled away from Renji and looked in his eyes, hers still full of tears. "Can I go with you?" She begged with a serious look. "I'll go with anyone and do whatever you want me to! Just don't," she started to sob again, "Please don't leave me here all by myself!" She hid her head back in Renji's top.

For a bit, the little girl just cried and didn't say anything else, and Renji allowed her to as he hugged her. It was strange because she didn't seem at all uncomfortable crying into a complete stranger's shirt. "Listen," he said and she raised her head to look at him, "I can let you come with us." He said and the little girl's eyes widened and a smile played across her face.

"R-Really!? You'd let me!?" She questioned, seeming to have forgotten that her brother figure lay dead not too far away from them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed and hugged him tightly. "I can heal all sorts of wounds and I listen very well and I'm well behaved!" She said and looked up at him. "What's your name Mister? I'm Aiko Alnina!"

"My name's Renji Abarai." He replied and looked over at Kohaku who was still unconscious.

Aiko followed his gaze. "Is Kohaku your girlfriend? Or do you like guys?" She asked innocently.

Renji's eyes went wide and shook his head. "N-NO! I don't like guys!" He exclaimed in shock. "…And I _think _Kohaku's my girlfriend." He said unsurely.

"Have you kissed?" She asked, still out of innocence.

Renji felt himself get hot and he nodded. "Um…yeah once…no TWICE!" He answered. "I kissed her cheek once before."

Aiko giggled and ran over to Kohaku, seeming enthusiastic. Renji watched as she approached her and became shocked. Not even five minutes ago, the young girl was bawling her eyes out, but now she seemed positive and appeared to have forgotten her previous sadness. Renji walked over to join Aiko and he picked up Kohaku once again.

Aiko looked at Renji, then at Kohaku and back to Renji; she smiled. "You two make a cute couple!" She exclaimed happily and removed her sword from her sheath and sliced Kohaku with it. Renji was about to scream and murder the child, but before his anger kicked in, he saw that the weapon released a green aura that enveloped Kohaku's body. "Don't worry Tats," the little girl said, using a nickname Renji was familiar with, "Hikarihime can't hurt anything, she can only heal. Look, see!" She said and pointed.

Renji looked down and saw that Kohaku's wounds had healed, and not even a scar remained on her body. "What's that attack called Aiko?" He asked. "Is it a Shikai ability?"

Aiko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? What's that mean?" She questioned and Renji raised an eyebrow of his own. "I dunno anything about you guys…I don't remember anything from before I joined Lord Katashi."

"Then how can you use that weapon so easily?"

Aiko shrugged and put her sword back. "Dunno…I just can…"

Renji was about to ask another question, but he stopped when Kohaku stirred in her unconscious state. After a second, her mix matched eyes opened and looked up at Renji. "Hi." She greeted and he let her down, kind of reluctantly.

Aiko looked up at Kohaku. "Wow! Your eyes are cool; they're different colors!" She said with a giggle. "So do you feel ok? I healed you, y'know?"

Kohaku looked down at Aiko and seemed shocked for a moment, but she knelt down with a caring smile. "Yeah, it's like nothing happened. Thank you…uh…"

"I'm Aiko, and you're welcome!" She said happily and hopped onto Renji's shoulder. "C'mon Tats, let's get outta here and back to wherever you came from! OH and I'll heal the others too, I'm sure they'll need it!" Both Renji and Kohaku nodded and exited through the metal door they had entered from.

~*~*~*~

Kohaku bowed to Hitsugaya and exited the Squad 10 Barracks after explaining that she was the one who started the fight with Hana, whom she had since settled her differences with in the battle they had had the day before. When she got outside, she was greeted by Renji. He was leaning casually against the building's wall with a grin on his face.

"So…how'd it go?" The lieutenant asked as he pushed himself off the wall. When they all returned to the Seireitei, Aiko had began living with Kohaku and at the same time, Kohaku had been given the opportunity to switch to a different squad in order to enhance her fighting capabilities.

At first, she was excited by the possible promotion, but after she thought it through she decided to remain in Squad 4 as the new 3rd Seat. _**(Yes, yes, I know that the dude with the sunglasses is the 3**__**rd**__** Seat, but he magically disappeared and Kohaku took his place!) **_She was told that she was still unlikely to see much combat, but after a few meetings, they—the higher ups—decided that Kohaku was to be able to join other squads for missions if they needed her help; she happily agreed to the ruling.

Kohaku sighed and shrugged. "Meh…he told me that he was aware of the situation the entire time, so he didn't take any actions to punish me." She explained and saw that Renji looked like he wanted to say more. "No worries, he's not gonna punish you either; however, he _did _say that was disappointed by your actions."

He smirked and shrugged. "Oh well, hopefully he understood my reasons behind it." He said and laid a kiss upon Kohaku's lips, she immediately responded by kissing him back. Moments later, they parted.

"I dunno if he knew _that _much." She said and sighed again. "Alright…you know our next stop dontcha?"

Renji slumped and clearly look unpleased and reluctant. "Yeah…" He growled. "Even though I _really _don't wanna." He complained as the two of them made their way to the Squad 2 Barracks to serve their punishment for leaving the Soul Society against the rules.

Kohaku rolled her mix-matched eyes and pushed him playfully. "Quit whining!" She said with a smirk. "It's better if we turn ourselves in rather than wait to be tattled on; the punishment won't be _as _harsh."

Renji rubbed the back of his neck, a clear look of dread on his face. "Yeah but it'll still be harsh."

"Get over it." She stated with a sigh. "I'm gonna be punished worse than you since I led the group. Raquarah and Hana already served their time, and Amaterasu is punished by her own captain…she _gotta _have much worse than us!" She explained and the two of them reached the doors of the Squad 2 Barracks. "Ok…are you ready?"

"No." Renji answered immediately with a sigh. "I've never had to be punished by the actual Punishment Force."

Kohaku smirked and shook her head. "I haven't either." She said and pulled the door open. She and Renji walked into the room and saw Soifon sitting at her desk going through some papers. One either side of her stood Amaya and Omaeda; the 3rd Seat and Lieutenant.

Soifon looked up from her papers and glared at Renji and Kohaku. "You're the Squad 4 Member who led a group to the World of the Living?" She questioned.

Kohaku bowed. "Yes Captain Soifon." She answered calmly. "I've come to serve my time for this incident."

"I have already met with the others who went with you, and Captain Zaraki is taking care of the Squad 11 member that was involved." The powerful captain explained and walked over to Renji and Kohaku. "You two are the last ones." She said and turned to Amaya who stood silently. "Amaya, you are in charge of these two. Give them the same treatment that the others received."

Amaya bowed politely. "Yes Captain." She said and glared at Renji and Kohaku as Soifon and Omaeda left the room. "This should be enjoyable." She said with an evil grin.

~*~*~*~

Kohaku's and Renji's sentence lasted for an entire week. Each day they were to do everything that _any _Squad 2 Member asked them to, and they were forced to take part in a terrible 'Training Program.' For the program, the convicted were to see how long they would last standing against an enemy equal in level to them without a weapon. Kohaku decided that it wasn't a 'Training Program' at all, but instead it was a beating and that was all.

On the final day, after she and Renji were put back in Squad 2's Holding Cells, Amaya walked into Kohaku's with an angry look on her face. "Have you learned your lesson, Squad 4 Member?" She asked angrily.

Kohaku looked up at her with her arms bound behind her and nodded. "I learned after the first day!" She exclaimed in anger and annoyance. "Trust me; it ain't gonna happen again!"

Amaya grinned evilly. "That's a good thing, it means that the Punishment Force is doing their job well." She said and pulled Kohaku up by her shirt and got in her face. "I made sure to make _your _punishment be the worst out of the others!"

Kohaku glared at her. "Why the hell did you do that!?"

"For one: you were the one who led the operation, for two: you _forced _me to go with you by threatening me, and for three: while we were in the Human World my battle was the most pointless thing ever!" She growled angrily. "For a while I obeyed your threat, but then I remembered that Ggio and I had since broken up! Why the _hell _did I stay the entire fucking time!?"

Kohaku's eyes went wide. "I gave you the chance to leave!" She defended, becoming angry once again. "Another thing Amaya: why didn't _you _get in trouble!?"

Amaya smirked and dropped Kohaku to the ground. "For a couple of reasons." She said with a pleased grin. "I, myself, am a member of the Punishment Force _and _my captain likes me enough to dismiss what happened! I got a lecture and that's all." With that the 3rd Seat released Kohaku's arms, and just as the Squad 4 member was about to attack her, she disappeared from sight without a word.

Kohaku growled angrily. "AMAYA! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!" She yelled. When nobody responded, she exited the Squad 2 Barracks and made her way home, not even bothering to grab Renji.

**THE END!**

~*~*~*~

**Ambie's Final Note: **Alrighty people, that's the end of the story! I know the ending seemed a little rushed, but I tried to make it end as smoothly as possible…heehee…I've always been terrible with endings so don't flame me on that please. So what'd ya think? Good? Bad? Ok? Tell me in a review!

For the battles with Hana, Raquarah, Amaya, and Amaterasu, I'll be writing shorts! The fights and other, random things…not all of them serious! Ok…so I have a few ideas for a sequel, and I plan on writing it. I just hope that I'll be able to stick to it. If you have any ideas you wanna pitch, just tell me, either by messaging me or you can even write a review with your thoughts! Any sorta help would be nice! ^_^

Thanks if you're one of the people who read the _entire_ story! You're my favorites! But the ones who read the whole story through _and _reviewed, you're my _oober _favorites!

VI


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